Forces of Magic
by LadyDae
Summary: Sequel fic.Just when Sakura thought she had the hang of magic, a powerful sorceress who wants to control life & death asks her for help, forcing Sakura to face how powerful she truly is and the threat the magical community sees in her abilities. S/Y
1. The Gift

**AN: **So here's the story, as promised! I tell you. I got up this morning to post and was like 'oh damn' I don't have a title! So while I wanted to post this morning, I had to wait until a title came to me and it's a simple title, simpler than I like to go for in these types of story, but it encompasses a lot that goes on in the story that I think will be thirty chapters. But thinking about it gave me time to work on my blog, the link of which is in my profile if you want to check it out. Anywho, here I am and here's the story I promised you what... almost three months ago? The basic background info for anyone new is that this is technically the sequel to _Duty of a Guardian_. But except for one or two references, this can be read standalone and picks up a few months after the end of that one. So Sakura's now sixteen.

The pairing is Yue/Sakura if someone happened to miss it in the summary and the character listing. So please no negative feedback about how this paring isn't canon. I know it isn't. I acknowledge that, but how many people did Clamp imply Sakura could have ended up with? I think there were at least five people they implied. Anyway, I'm not here to defend my on true pairing, canon or not. I'm here to post a multi-chapter adventure fic featuring Sakura/Yue as the main coupling. So without further ado I bring you…

**Forces of Magic **

Read, enjoy, and review!

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

**The Gift**

"So do you have any plans for the summer Sakura?"

The said girl looked up from where she was gathering her things to look at Rika. Sakura did have plans, but they were plans that involved magic and sorcery, nothing she could tell her other friends about. So she shrugged before saying to Rika, "Not really. I didn't have time to make any plans. There was a lot going on."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "That's a lie. Sakura's been too preoccupied with her boyfriend."

"Tomoyo!"

"It's true," Tomoyo sang.

Sakura blushed. Maybe that was part of the truth too…

"You mean Yue?" Naoko asked.

"We should go on a double date or something this summer," Chiharu suggested.

"Maybe," Sakura said imagining the time she would have trying to convince Yue to agree to something like that.

"It wouldn't hurt to ask him. He's not that shy is he?" Rika asked.

"Yue's not shy. He just doesn't like being around people," Sakura corrected.

"I'm sure you could convince him," said Tomoyo.

Sakura sighed. She wasn't going to get any peace if she didn't at least agree to that. "I'll mention it."

That seemed to satisfy the girls, and Sakura continued to pack her bag, or rather started to anyway. She stared into it for a moment.

"What?"

"This wasn't in my bag," Sakura said putting her books down and taking out a small box.

"What is it?" all the girls asked crowding around Sakura who only shrugged and opened the box. They all gasped.

"It's gorgeous!" Tomoyo said looking at the gold and diamond necklace.

"Is it real?" Rika asked.

"It has to be," Naoka said.

"Who's it from?"

Sakura looked at the box. "It doesn't say."

"Aw," Naoka said. "Yue gave you a gift."

Sakura frowned and shook her head. "This isn't from Yue."

"How do you know?"

"This isn't Yue's style," Sakura replied although that wasn't the true reason (fully anyway). She would have known if it was from Yue. She would have felt his lingering energy on the necklace. "And it wasn't in my book bag all day. It appeared in my book bag like magic…"

"Oh come on Sakura. That's silly. It's had to be in there and you didn't see it," Chiharu replied. "I bet you have a secret admirer."

"But who is it that could afford a gift like that?" Naoka asked.

Sakura didn't answer and closed the box, setting it down on the table so that she could pack her other stuff. She then grabbed the box and threw her book bag over her shoulder.

"What are you going to do with it?"

"I'm not exactly sure," Sakura said putting a finger on the side of her face as she pondered it. "I just hope it really isn't from some secret admirer."

"Why? Scared of what your brother's going to do."

"No," Sakura muttered and then sighed before saying, "It's Yue I'm worried about…"

* * *

><p>Kero floated in front of Yue, who was quietly reading a book and ignoring him outside in the yard. But Kero persisted on. It was only a matter of time…<p>

Finally Yue sighed and said, "You must live to bother me."

"Of course I do. Somebody has to."

Yue closed his eyes briefly before closing the book and standing up to make his way into the house.

"What do you want Cerberus?" Yue asked impatiently.

"If I was Sakura you wouldn't be this annoyed," Kero muttered.

Yue didn't even give an answer as he started to leave, deciding that Kero wanted nothing more than to bother him. If that were the case, he'd just go lock himself in his room.

"Fine," Kero said flying to catch up with the moon guardian. "I just wanted to remind you that today's Sakura's last day of school before summer vacation."

"I'm aware."

"You do know what that means?"

Yue stopped, turning to look at Kero, a smirk playing at his lips as he said good-naturedly, "It's going to be a lot less quiet around here."

Kero grinned. Summer meant Sakura didn't have to go to school, which also meant that she had a lot of free time, free time that she normally used to practice magic. That meant trouble was bound to follow along with late nights; especially since her father had laid down the law on how often Sakura could experiment with her magic during school.

"We should probably warn her father," Kero said heading into the kitchen.

"Warn my dad about what?" Sakura asked as she came into the house and dropped her book bag at the door. She found her two guardians in the kitchen.

"That you're going to be a lot less careful with your magic practicing now that you don't have to hide it from him," Kero replied.

Sakura scowled at him as she went over to Yue and gave him a quick peck before raiding the refrigerator.

"Everyone's coming to Japan for the summer," Sakura said changing the subject. "Meiling's even going to come from China. So I was thinking we should plan something, an outing or something maybe. The cards are restless anyway."

Kero snickered at the look that crossed Yue's face at the mere idea.

"I was thinking the beach," Sakura said oblivious to the look on her lover's face. "What do you guys think?"

"I think Yue wants to hide in his room all summer," Kero joked.

Sakura glanced up at Yue and laughed at the scowl and the delicate twitch of his eyebrow.

"It won't be that bad," she said going to wrap her arms around him.

He returned the embrace burying his face in her hair while muttering, "Between Tomoyo trying to play dress up, Hiragizawa with his cryptic words of wisdom, and Nakuru's hyperactivity, I think it will be."

Sakura giggled and leaned up to kiss him, Yue returning the gesture.

Kero coughed and loudly said, "I'm right here."

Sakura pulled away with a blush on her face as she went back around the counter to take care of dinner. She started to arrange the items before she noticed the box she had randomly set down. Seeing her gaze, Yue followed it.

"What's that?"

"Oh," Sakura said handing it to him, Kero flying to sit on Yue's shoulder. "I found it in my book bag today."

Yue opened it and his eyes widened. He was hard pressed to keep his mouth from opening in shock. Kero fell off his shoulder.

"You _found _this in your book bag?" Yue asked.

"It must be worth a fortune," Kero exclaimed picking it up to get a closer look.

"It's really strange. I know it wasn't in my bag this morning or most of the day for that matter, but at the end of the day it was there, like…"

"Magic?" Yue said tugging the jewel from Kero and then turning it around to look at the back of the pendant. Though his expression was neutral, Sakura saw something flash in his eyes.

"What?"

"Look at this," Yue said pointing to something on the back of the pendant.

Kero inspected it and then frowned. "Figures… Seems like she would have given up by now."

"Who?" Sakura asked taking the pendant and looking on the back to find a small symbol on it, a circle with a cross and an ankh crisscrossed in it. "What's that represent?"

"It's the crest of the Voss family," Kero explained. "And apparently their matriarch is up to her old tricks again."

"Shouldn't she be dead by now?" Yue asked.

"I don't know," Kero said. "But you know that family. Always were meddling with the natural process of things. She's got to be knocking on three hundred though. Hm. Not too unusual for a sorceress of her power."

"Who is the Voss family?"

Yue and Kero seemed to remember she was standing there at that point, and the two exchanged a look.

"What?" Sakura asked, cooking dinner forgotten.

"They're a Western magic family let by their matriarch, Marie Voss. She's been trying to latch her people on to a more powerful clan for decades," Kero informed. "But the Li family doesn't agree with some of the things she uses her magic for. Whether that was because of Clow or if they were like that anyway, I'm not sure. The point is the Li Clan won't have anything to do with her."

"But that doesn't keep her from trying," Yue added.

"What do you mean the Li Clan doesn't agree with what they use their magic for?"

"For all his power, Clow didn't believe in using magic to interfere in natural processes," said Kero.

"Natural processes?"

"Life and death," said Yue. "But that's not a philosophy the Voss family shares, well Marie mostly. Originally, Marie wanted Clow's help to conquer life and death, but Clow refused to meddle with such dark and unpredictable forces of nature."

"What's so dark about life?" Sakura asked.

"Life and Death are constant companions. I guess you could say siblings like LIGHT and DARK," Kero replied. "To have power over one is to have power over the other unless you want to knock things out of balance anyway… Clow didn't believe that the power to decide who lived and who died should be in any man's hand."

When Kero put it that way, it did sound pretty dark to Sakura.

"Anyway, the power her family has isn't enough for her to do that alone so she's been trying to find a powerful enough person to help her for decades and I guess she decided since you don't have any real ties to a family, you'd be more willing or at least hear her out," Kero said.

"Well why send a necklace? Why not just approach me and ask?"

"Marie's not a dumb woman," Yue said. "She realizes that if she were to just come and ask you, you'd be wary. That necklace is something of a dowry."

Sakura blinked. "A dowry…?"

That was something she heard often in those movies about sixteenth and seventeenth century England. When that usually came up, it usually had something to do with the terms of an engagement or…

"Does she have any sons or something?"

"And grandsons and great grandsons," Kero added seeing that Sakura had caught on.

"You mean that necklace is part of some kind of proposal?" Sakura asked understanding why Yue had looked bothered when he saw the crest.

Yue and Kero nodded. Sakura frowned and then snatched the necklace out Yue's hand and put it back in the box before setting it on the counter.

"Erase, get rid of this necklace forever," she called out and in the next moment, the box faded away. "That takes care of that. As if I could be bought and flattered into a marriage…"

Sakura began talking to herself under her breath as she continued to arrange dinner. Kero flew in front of her at the counter.

"That's what you say

bi said licking her tongue at him.

that no matter how much we study we'm stand.

tle dignity he had left. only for Cerberus to Sakura, but powerful families have allied and come to power through marriage. This isn't going to be the last proposal you get," Kero said. "And they're going to try everything, especially once you turn eighteen. They'll test your every heart's desire."

Sakura shrugged. "I don't care about those things though. What's the point of having it and being trapped in a loveless relationship for it?"

Sakura glanced at Yue who was strangely silent (even for him) with his arms crossed and staring out into space.

"Hey Kero. I picked some groceries up from the store and left them at the door with my bag. Can you go get them for me?"

Kero started to whine and point out that Yue could get them faster than he could, but Sakura darted his eyes from him to Yue and back to him in a silent request. She only wanted a second.

"Sure thing Sakura," he said flying out the room.

When she was sure he was out of earshot, Sakura went up to Yue and touched his arm.

"You know you have nothing to worry about right?" she asked.

"I know. It still doesn't make it any less bothersome," Yue replied after a moment. He paused and then said. "You know other sorcerers and families are going to look down on you right?"

"Why? Because I won't accept some proposal?"

"No," Yue said slowly trying to figure out how to put it mildly. "Because they'll think you're lowering yourself to be with a creation."

"But I don't think-."

"I know," Yue said a smile tugging at his lips. "I'm just warning you. The world's bigger than the people you've already met."

"Sakura. Is this it?" Kero said poking into the room with the bags,

"Yes Kero," Sakura said sighing a little as she went to grab the bag from him.

"What are we having?"

"Noodles. And Yukito and Toya are coming over too," she added.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Black hair, pale skin, rosy red cheeks and lips; the woman looked like the living Snow white. She used her old comb to comb out her hair as she stared blankly in the mirror.

"Mother."

"Did she get the gift, Dominik?" she asked cutting straight to the point when she saw one of her sons' reflection in the mirror.

"Yes, but as I we assumed, her guardians warned her of our intentions. She'll never be willing to-."

"That was only the first step. Now she knows we're interested. That's all the gift was for, just to catch her attention"

"But mother, why this child? She's hardly attached to any powerful families or-."

"I've seen her future," Marie said setting down her comb. "She'll start her own family and line, this heir of Clow Reed. If the Voss family is to dominate, we need to be a part of that. She'll be able to help us where Clow wouldn't."

"But how?" Dominik asked confused.

Marie sighed and went over to him, putting her hand on his face.

"Oh my son, just trust your mother. Hm?"

Dominik wouldn't even begin to think that he understood his grandmother's thinking or what she hoped to gain from this, but he trusted her. As if he had a choice anyway…

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> So that was only the first chapter and I tell you. I didn't know what I set myself up for when I wrote this first chapter just by bringing Marie into play I was surprised at some of the stuff that happened and the way some of it ended up writing itself and how much I misled myself by thinking this would be simple… Tsh. Please. I write anything but simple plots. That's why I can't write a short story…

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	2. Dominik

**AN: **This was one of those chapters I didn't realize the importance of either, especially with the way I dealt with… Well, you'll see. But again, I got more than I bargained for later after I wrote this. Just read it and we'll see.

Read, enjoy, and review! (I mean it. Review!)

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><p><strong>Chapter Two<br>Dominik**

"_Where am I…?" Sakura asked herself as she looked around. It was dark._

"_Why can't I move?" she said as she looked around and saw the moon in the sky, coming in._

"_Yue, Kero," she called sensing them nearby. "Where are you?"_

_Then she felt it. Two dark presences came, making the air heavy. Light flashed and she briefly saw two women before they too disappeared._

"_Wait!" she said and then saw a flash of red and someone scream._

"_No!" she said sensing pain._

"No!" Sakura awkwardly shot out of bed and then proceeded to fall out of the bed completely, landing on the floor with a loud thump.

"Sakura?" Kero said coming up to her.

Her room door opened and in walked Yue, having sensed her distress and then heard her yelp. He knelt down next to her.

"Are you all right?"

Sakura nodded as she collected herself and sat on her bed. "I think so…"

Yue raised an eyebrow. "You think?"

"I had a dream and I'm not sure what it was about. I just remember it felt dark… in a bad way," Sakura added.

"You sure you don't remember anything?" Kero asked.

"Nothing clear," she whispered as she grabbed the clock and looked at the time. Seven o'clock. She sat it down and sighed. She was never going to get back to sleep now. So Sakura got up and went out her room, headed to the bathroom.

"What do you think?" Kero asked.

"If you're talking about that proposal necklace she got, I'm not sure," Yue replied. "But Marie Voss is known for her persistence and insistence."

"But they haven't sent her anything else since that necklace," Kero pointed out and indeed Sakura hadn't received anymore gifts in the last three days. "And what would that have to do with her dream?"

"Perhaps we may be looking too close into the situation," Yue said, though he too was concerned about the entire situation.

"Maybe…" Kero said trailing off.

They didn't mention anymore about it. When Sakura came back, she led them downstairs to get breakfast for herself and Kero and played around with a flavor of tea for Yue to try.

"Monster, you here?"

Sakura scowled. "I'm not a monster."

"Sure," Toya said from the entrance coming in a few minutes later with Yukito.

"What are you doing here?" Sakura asked glaring at him.

"Is that any way to greet your brother?" Toya asked her taking a seat next to Yue and Yukito sitting next to him.

"Good morning Kero, Yue," Yukito said brightly.

Kero returned the greeting and Yue simply nodded.

"Good morning," Sakura said. "Now why are you here?"

"You're up kind of early for the first week of your break. Don't you usually sleep in until noon?" Toya asked.

"Couldn't sleep," Sakura said cryptically still wanting her answer.

"Fine," Toya said rolling his eyes. "Dad just asked me to come check on you since he wasn't here."

"I don't need to be babysat," said Sakura. "I can take care of myself and Kero and Yue are here."

"That's not Dad's concern. He just wants me to make sure you don't wreck the house with whatever magic you'll be practicing. We don't need a repeat of last time," Toya said to her.

"It wasn't that bad!"

"You twisted the reality of the house so that if I walked out the kitchen, I ended up on the roof," Toya said dryly and Yukito laughed.

Sakura blushed. "It was an accident. Nothing a card couldn't take care of. Besides, I wasn't really practicing anything. I was just bored. I haven't done any advanced magic in months."

"Hence why I'm here," Toya said to her.

Sakura frowned and the smiled. "Well, since you're here I might not need to practice magic anyway."

"Why?" Toya asked.

Sakura grinned. "Because you promised to teach me how to drive this summer."

Toya blinked, looking like he wished he hadn't dropped by before he cursed under his breath.

"Drive?" Yue asked.

"Yeah. You know. A car?" said Kero.

"I know what it is," Yue snapped.

"Why do you need me to teach you? You get where you need to without any trouble now," Toya replied. "And if you have any trouble it's just a matter of shouting the word FLY and being on your way."

"I can't just use magic for everything, especially when people are around," Sakura said. "Besides you-."

Sakura stopped talking as she turned back to the other counter, a gasp coming out her mouth.

"I know," Toya said apparently oblivious to her pause. "I promised and summer's barely started and already you're pestering me about it. I'll get to it."

Sakura didn't answer, her gaze fixed on something in the kitchen.

"Sakura?" Yukito said to her.

"Oh," Sakura said blinking. "Sorry. What were you saying?"

"What's wrong?"

Sakura didn't answer as she went over to the counter and grabbed something off of it before she turned around with the said item in her hand. It was a bottle of what had to be an expensive perfume with the same crest on it as the necklace.

"What's that?" Toya asked.

"Just had to leave it while your brother was here," Kero said. "As if Yue seeing it wasn't bad enough."

"What are you talking about?" Toya demanded.

Sakura grinned and said, "Oh, I didn't tell you? Someone's anonymous sorcerer is trying to marry me."

Toya just stared at her blankly for a long time, apparently trying to process what Sakura said. Then he frowned, crossed his arms and glared murder as he yelled, "What?"

* * *

><p>"So this is the second gift you've gotten?" Toya asked later. "Are you sure it's not just a token of friendship or something?"<p>

"Of course," Yue began sarcastically. "Expensive jewelry and perfume is a token of friendship."

"It's not that shocking really. It not uncommon in the magical community," Kero said. "Usually, it wouldn't even been anything to be bothered or concerned about if it weren't from the Voss family."

"Should we be concerned for her safety?" Toya asked.

"Marie wants her power in the family for her own uses, so no, not from her anyway. Now her descendants… That's debatable," Kero warned. "They're known not to have their grandmother's famed patience and subtleness. It only depends on who's sending the proposal request."

"In other words," Toya grumbled. "There's nothing we can do right not?"

"Hello," Sakura said a little annoyed from where she was sitting next to Yue. "I'm right here."

Toya sighed. "If you all are sure it's nothing to worry about and that she can handle it."

He then eyed the perfume sitting in the middle of the table. "What are you going to do with that?"

"Tomoyo might like it," Sakura said as she took it off the table and sniffed it. "Personally, it smells a little too artificial. I like more natural scents."

She put it back down dismissively and left the room to go finish breakfast. When she was back in the kitchen and Toya heard the sound of the pan cooking hotcakes, Toya looked at Yue.

"You don't seem to have much of an opinion on this," he said. "I'd like to hear what you have to say on the matter."

Yue's expression didn't change. "What's there to say? It's not like neither me or Cerberus weren't expecting it."

"It's one thing to expect something," Yukito said speaking for the first time. "But another when it actually happens."

Yue only briefly looked in Yukito's direction before sighing and getting up to follow Sakura into the kitchen. Cerberus sighed.

"That's Yue for you," he said.

"I'd feel better if he at least showed something. Really, my sister had to pick the emotionless void for a boyfriend," Toya grumbled.

* * *

><p>Days passed, mainly uneventful as Sakura had better learned to control her magic even though she practiced doing so quite often. With no other presents left for Sakura, the mood in the house was decidedly light and the sun was shining outside to match. So Sakura decided it would be a nice idea to go outside and tend to the garden in the backyard with Yue and Cerberus. She knelt down on the edge of it, careful not to disturb the plants as she began to tend to them, picking weeds, cutting off yellowing leaves, pruning berry bushes.<p>

"Wouldn't this just be easier if you used magic?" Cerberus pointed out.

"Probably, but this is relaxing," Sakura replied. "And I'm a little antsy to tell the truth. This helps."

"Antsy?" Yue and Cerberus asked exchanging a look but before either of them could question her about it Sakura turned to look at Yue.

"You should come help me," she suggested with a sly smile on her face.

"No thank you."

Sakura sighed. "You're willing do anything else, but when it comes to getting messy you can find it in you to say no."

"Only because you like to get me dirty on purpose," Yue reminded a smiled tugging at his lips.

"I'll help," Cerberus suggest and started to try to pull a weed out with his claws.

Sakura reached out to grab it. "Last time you did that, you uprooted one of my plants," she said and then turned back to Yue. "Come on. I'll use the bubble card to clean you up afterward."

"I'll just stay over here," Yue insisted.

Cerberus rolled his eyes and settled down for a nap as he began to grow bored of their playful bickering.

Sakura scowled and teased, "You're no fun."

Yue raised an eyebrow at her and finally knelt down beside her. She glanced back to determine whether Cerberus was sleep or not before turning back to her task.

"You've been quiet lately," Sakura began. "More than usual anyway. I wanted to ask you about it before, but I never could get the chance between Toya making sure I don't destroy the house and Cerberus."

"Ask me what?"

"I know you're afraid," was all Sakura said as she reached to touch a piece of fruit, hesitantly, a reflection of her mood.

"You didn't used to be able to read me that well."

"I've gotten better," Sakura said with a grin as she picked the fruit and then leaned against him. "I know you're worried about what these gifts mean for me and you. You have nothing to be afraid of. I'm not going anywhere."

"Some of these suitors, they'll be able to give you anything you want in the world," Yue pointed out.

"I already have everything I want," Sakura said to him. "I'm perfectly fine and no amount of flowers and jewelry and perfume will change that. Even if I did want that, I wouldn't trade it for you."

"I can never give you any of that though."

"You know the one thing I do want?" Sakura said sitting up to look at him.

Yue blinked a little confused. "What?"

"Let's go flying."

"Now? In broad daylight?"

"Of course not. But it's been a while since we've just done that since my dad put his foot down about using magic during school," Sakura replied. "We'll go tonight."

Yue smiled and reached over to grab a fruit like the one in Sakura's hand. He looked at it and then tugged on it gently to pull it off and hand it to her. Then he reached back to grab another, only to grab the same one as Sakura. He saw her turn red out the corner of his eye and couldn't help but chuckle as he cupped her hand, and they pulled off the fruit together. She was obviously waiting for him to let go, but he didn't which only made her blush harder.

He chuckled again and said, "Kawaii."

"Tomoyo would have kittens if she knew you said that and she missed it," Sakura said and then started to say something else but stopped. She narrowed her eyes and pulled her hand from Yue's grip as she looked behind them. Yue did the same sensing whatever she was sensing also, and Cerberus woke from his sleep, immediately on alert.

"My apologies," the man said with a foreign accent. "I didn't mean to startle you. I just came to talk."

Sakura stood to her feet and looked between Yue and Cerberus, unsure of the man's intention. She didn't sense any malice from him, but he still made her feel uneasy.

"Who are you?" Sakura asked warily going through the possible cards she could use and how just in case this man tried something.

"My apologies Lady Kinomoto."

Sakura blinked. That was new.

"I'm Domonik Voss. It's an honor to finally meet you in person."

Sakura was stunned. So stunned, she didn't realize he was reaching to take her hand until Yue put his hand over it and moved it out of the man's reach.

"I… I'm sorry," Sakura said blinking out of her stupor.

"I apologize for coming unannounced. But I wanted to talk to you personally instead of through trinkets of affection."

Sakura smiled warmly, despite the stoic looks Yue and Cerberus were maintaining.

"It's fine. Do you mind if we go inside? I'll make us some tea," Sakura suggested.

"After you milady," he said.

Sakura hoped she didn't look as puzzled as she felt. It was easy to ignore a suitor when he was only sending expensive gifts through magical means, but face to face. She pressed her lips tightly together, wishing she could master the neutral expressions Yue always used as she led everyone inside to sit around the coffee table.

"I'll be right back with some tea," Sakura said quietly. That would give her some time to figure out how to handle this. "Yue, Cerberus, would one of you like to help me?"

They caught the meaning and Yue started to rise until Dominik waved his hand dismissively.

"That won't be necessary," he said in conjunction with the appearance of tea and four mugs on the table.

"Oh," Sakura said as she sat down uncomfortably between Cerberus and Yue. "Thank you… Uh."

"You may call me Dominik."

Sakura swore Yue was trying not to roll his eyes at the antics of the man as she nodded and took the cup of tea the man offered her after pouring it. She eyed it cautiously and then figured it was safe enough when he drank from it.

"Dominik," she said uncertainly. "Um…"

"I trust you received my gifts," he said.

"I… Yes," Sakura said trying not to blush under his intense stare. "They were very… nice."

"I wanted to give you this one personally," he said handing her another smaller box.

Sakura put her tea down and tentatively took the small box from him. She lowered her hand to her lap and opened it so that Yue and Cerberus could see it. She almost dropped the box in surprise at the ring sparkling inside, no doubt diamond and engraved on the inside, the crest of the Voss family.

"Perhaps we can discuss in more. In private?" he asked.

Sakura looked up at him at that, sensing his arrogance. Who did he think he was practically asking her to marry him after a necklace and a bottle of perfume?

Shyness and discomfort forgotten, she said, "Anything you have to say to me can be said around Yue and Cerberus."

"Of course," Dominik said to her. "I assume you know understand what this means."

"You want me to marry you," Sakura said bluntly.

"It's more than just a marriage proposal," he said. "It will be a bonding of families. You, Clow Reed's heir, to one of the greatest families of Western Magic in the world. Surely it would be wise of you to accept."

"So this is about power?" Sakura asked.

"In a way. It would be very beneficial to both of us."

Sakura sighed patiently as she tried to figure out what to say to let him down easy.

"Well… This is all so sudden."

"Understandable."

"And I just turned sixteen and I'm still in school," Sakura said looking at her lap. "And I'm not ready to get married yet, I don't think…"

"There would be no rush. Just your word. Or course, you don't have to answer right away. You can think about it more."

Sakura sighed as she shook her head. So much for letting him down easy. "I'm sorry. That's not what I mean. I don't need time to think about it."

Sakura closed the box and held it out to him. He hid it well outwardly, but everyone in the room knew he was surprised, shocked maybe.

"I'm not sure I understand," he said not reaching out to take it from her and so Sakura sat the box down on the table in front of him.

"I won't be accepting your proposal," Sakura finally said outright. "I'm not sure if that's proper or not and I'm not sure if this is how all the other magic families propose marriage, but I do know, that if I ever get married it'll be to someone I truly love and care about. It won't be to make me or anyone else more powerful. The gifts were truly beautiful though, and I hope you find someone else willing to marry you."

Dominik was silent for a long time, and Sakura assumed he was about to resign himself to her answer as he sighed. But then he looked up at her, a sharp threatening look in her eyes.

"With all due respect Lady Kinomoto I have to say I thought a sorceress of your esteem and the Card Mistress to boot would see the wisdom in accepting my proposal."

Cerberus growled and Yue's eyes glowed briefly at the obvious threatening tone, but Sakura was still trying to gauge whether or not he was still trying to court her or not…

"What wisdom?"

"It would be wise to attach yourself to an established and known family. You'll get not only power, but the respect and class that comes with the name. Sure you're Clow Reed's heir, but besides that, what do you have?"

Sakura only laughed, taking his statement in good humor as she said, "Well, everyone has to start somewhere and maybe in three hundred years, I'll be the matriarch of the Kinomoto Family or Clan."

Cerberus disguised a laugh with a cough at the baffled expression on the man's face, while a smile tugged at Yue's lips.

"Well then, I guess I've overstayed my welcome," he said standing, the tea and his gift disappearing from the table.

Sakura stood always and nodded her head in a slight bow.

"I hope there are no hard feelings," she said to him. "I really am sorry."

Dominik made a sound and then disappeared.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> So what did you think? Leave your opinion and to answer a question, I haven't figured out what my update days will be. Typically, the more reviews the more often I update. Reasonably speaking, for this archive and this coupling, three or four reviews a chap is reasonable and that will get an update twice a week. Anything less is once a week. It's all up to the readers really. Now to go finish writing the end of this story… School.. It's kicked my butt this semester and I plan to kick it back by finals. Anyway…

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	3. Marie

**AN: **First things first, thank you for all the reviews over the weekend. I love my readers so much and if some of my readers had fantasies of silver hair children in the last chapter where Sakura made that comment to Dominik… I won't even say. If you catch it, whatever. I'll say this though. It's not for this story. Keyword: _this story_.

Ok! I love writing romances. Why? Well, they make you feel so good on the inside. But I've never been able to write a straight romance because I always have adventure tagged to it, hence the reason this is romance and adventure so this is a good mix here, and this is still set up and I give myself three or four chapters for setup for a story that's… I think it will be thirty. Anywho, in school and updating in the middle of class, so…

Read, enjoy, and review! (I mean it. Review!)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Three<br>Marie**

"For someone who's never dealt with that kind of thing you sure handled it well," Kero said to Sakura as she fixed dinner for them.

"You think? I was so nervous, and I didn't want to hurt him. You don't think I was too harsh on him?" Sakura asked.

Yue snorted, and Sakura looked at him, a funny smile on her face.

"I don't think anyone in the world could have turned down a marriage proposal as nice as you did," he said.

"Do all magic families do that?' Sakura asked.

"Do what?" Kero asked trying to sneak a cookie only to have Sakura pull them away.

"Well, Syaoran and Meiling were engaged because it was arranged, and it seemed like Dominik's first concern was power first and love later," Sakura pointed out dryly.

"It depends on the person and the family. Some see fit to do so in case a descendant or heir doesn't find an appropriate mate on their own which was really the case of those two. Some give limited freedom. Only a few like the Voss still believe in marriage for the sake of politics and more power, but usually that's not the sole reason, just a deciding factor. But Marie's more ambitious than that and she cares about power before she cares anything about love and other people's feelings," Kero said to Sakura as she set dinner on the table.

"So am I going to have to worry about anymore proposals?"

"Maybe. Probably actually," Kero said and then looked at Yue with a serious expression. "But be careful about letting other families and sorcerers know about you and Yue."

"Why?"

"Remember what I told you?" Yue asked her as Sakura set tea in front of him and then sat down to eat dinner.

"Oh that? That's stupid," Sakura said honestly. "Why would anyone look down on us? It's not like I commanded you to love me… I didn't did I?"

Yue smiled and playfully tapped her nose. She was still as innocent as ever in some of her thinking. "No. But that won't matter to some. They won't necessarily see me as human, a creation made to serve humans yes but…"

"Well I don't care," Sakura said reaching across the table to grasp Yue's hand, a light blush on her face. "You're human to me."

Kero coughed loudly. "Don't even get started you two. You can be lovey-dovey with each other all you want after I'm done eating."

Sakura laughed. "Sorry Kero."

* * *

><p>"What did she say?"<p>

"No predictably. A waste of my time if you ask me. But…"

"Hm?"

"She's different," Dominik said as he reflected on his conversation with the young girl. "She was… She seemed so sincere, like she didn't want to hurt me. She really didn't want what I could offer her."

Marie scoffed. "Naïve child. I hate to think that I might have been that way at her age, to believe in love. Love is fleeting. Love can't get you anywhere, only power and what you're willing to do with it."

"So?" Dominik asked.

"I think I'll go talk to her and see if I can get her to thinking a little differently," Marie said. "We'll never learn the secret to conquering death and life without her."

"She's just a girl. How would she know?"

"She doesn't," Marie replied. "But she's the Card Mistress which means she can replicate them. I must if I we want to remain powerful, if we don't want this girl to take our place."

"Surely a girl like her can't possess that much power."

"Of course not now. She's only sixteen. But I've have seen this child's future. She will be the matriarch of a powerful magic family one day, and we would be fools to simply let that happen. I won't have it."

"With all due respect mother, I don't know what you can say that I haven't already said."

"You've done your part Dominik. Everything is going according to plan."

Dominik raised his eyebrow at her so-called 'plan' but didn't say anything. His grandmother was always hard to figure out.

* * *

><p>"FIREY! SWEET!"<p>

The said cards appeared in front of Sakura who looked frazzled and discombobulated and rightfully so. She had been preparing the house all day and the cards were just waiting for her to give in and use magic to help her get things along. The two cards looked at her expectantly.

"Do you two mind helping me out?" she asked.

SWEET clapped her hands in delight and nodded her head, while FIREY only shrugged.

"Thank you so much," Sakura said. "SWEET can you make desert, not too sweet of course, and FIREY can you keep dinner hot. Please don't let it burn."

The two nodded and Sakura started out the kitchen before backtracking and saying.

"And no playing pranks and burning SWEET's food FIREY," Sakura said sensing the mischief abound in the card.

FIREY crossed his arms before nodding, and SWEET licked her tongue at him.

"Be nice you two," Sakura said sighing as she made her way out the kitchen wondering if it had been a good idea to put the two of them together.

She looked out the window as she passed noticing the clouds gathering in the sky. It was a good thing they had decided to gather at the house instead of the park or out anywhere for that matter. It was definitely about to rain. She sank onto the couch exhausted as she waited for her guest.

"You would think Clow would have created a COOK card or FOOD card or CHEF card or something," Sakura muttered. "That way I wouldn't have to cook all this food."

"He did briefly consider it," Yue said suddenly from by the window watching the approaching storm. Sakura nearly jumped in fright. She hadn't even noticed he was in the room. It just went to show how preoccupied she had been.

After calming her nerves, she asked, "Well why didn't he?"

"Cooking was one of the things other than magic he enjoyed," Yue explained. "The only reason there was a SWEET card was because Clow couldn't bake if his life depended on it."

Sakura went to join Yue at the window behind the couch as he watched the storm, unfazed by the lightning and low rumbles of thunder indicating the storm was getting closer.

"You know," Yue began, "You could always create a card to help you cook."

"The only problem is I don't know how," Sakura said tapping her nails on the window sill. "And to be honest, I never thought about trying to."

Yue looked at her tapping nails and sighed. "You only tap your nails when you're considering an idea. Why do I have a feeling the remainder of the summer isn't going to be as peaceful as it has been thus far?"

Sakura grinned and started to say something else until thunder rumbled in the sky and lightning lit up the window. She screamed and latched herself onto Yue who was a cross between amused and bemused.

"I hate thunder and lightning," she said blushing.

"I would have never guessed." He paused and then added, "The strangest things scare you."

Sakura blushed harder at his teasing and started to let go of her grip on him as she said, "Sorry."

He put his hand over hers to stop her.

"No." he said. "It's fine."

Sakura started to try to warn him that they were about to have an audience, but it was too late.

"KAWAII!"

Sakura sweat dropped. She could honestly say that her best friend was the biggest supporter of her and Yue's relationship.

"Another scene for my _Romance of Sakura and Yue_! If only Yue wasn't so shy though," Tomoyo said sighing as she looked at her camera. "It's going to take me forever to finish at this rate."

Sakura giggled as Yue sighed.

"Don't be that way. I know you secretly like her," Sakura said to him.

Yue snorted at the idea.

"What in the world is all that screaming about?"

"Meiling," Sakura said letting go of Yue to go greet the girl.

"What's going on?" Meiling asked.

"Probably Tomoyo trying to film Yue and Sakura again," Syaoran said coming behind his cousin.

"Oh yeah," Meiling said smirking at Sakura with her arms crossed. "It's about time you two got together."

"About time?" Sakura asked.

"No one's blind," Meiling said to her. "I was only here a week last summer and could see it."

Meiling then winked and said, "You can fill me in about it later."

Sakura blushed while Yue only said, "I'll be in the kitchen," and made to get away from the noise and excitement and not a moment too soon as Eriol and Kaho came in, followed by vibrant and cheerful Nakuru who was holding Spinel.

"Hello everyone!" she said cheerfully as she looked around. "Sakura, where's Yue?"

"Being anti-social," Kero said coming out the kitchen with a piece of cake from SWEET.

"I'll go see him then," she said bounding that way.

"You might not want to take Spinel in there," Sakura warned. "SWEET's making desert and she loves for people to taste for her."

"Thanks for the warning," Spinel said to Sakura.

"Hello Sakura," Kaho said gently. "How are you?"

"Good," Sakura replied.

"And you and Yue?" Eriol asked with his secretive smile.

"Oh… We're fine," Sakura said blushing again and then said seriously, "On another note though, I should talk to you later."

"That's fine," Eriol said.

"Yue! You're so mean!" Nakuru whined suddenly sitting outside the kitchen on the carpet rubbing her backside. She then looked at Sakura. "So where's your brother?"

"He's working and Yukito's doing some summer classes at the university, so they won't be here tonight," Sakura explained.

Nakuru pouted. "So now what am I supposed to do for fun?"

Spinel rolled his eyes at her antics as he settled on the couch to go to sleep.

The doorbell rang just as Sakura was about to get settled comfortably with everyone and she blinked I confusion.

"Odd," she said standing up. "I wasn't expecting anyone."

"Don't worry Sakura," Tomoyo said. "I'll get it."

"Thank you," Sakura said to the girl as she hurried to answer the door.

Tomoyo yelped as soon as she rounded the corner, never making it to the door.

"Sakura," she said. "You might want to-Hey wait a minute."

"I apologize if I'm intruding. I wasn't aware that you would be having company," a woman with long black hair contrasting her porcelain skin said as she walked into the room. "But I couldn't wait."

Sakura glanced at Tomoyo who appeared behind her, and Tomoyo shrugged, glancing at the woman in confusion, before walking past her going to join everyone else. As she walked by Sakura, she muttered, "She was standing in the entranceway before I even got to the door, like she appeared out of nowhere."

Sakura resisted the urge to groan as she asked politely, "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes," the woman said clasping her hands in front of her elaborate cloak. "You certainly can Lady Kinomoto."

"Marie," Yue said cordially as he came to stand in the doorway.

Sakura gasped and said, "You're Marie Voss?"

Eriol stiffened and then glared at the woman.

"Sakura…" he said trailing off when Marie looked at him.

"I see you've been informed," Marie said though she was still looking at Eriol. "Is it possible that we could talk, away from your company of course?"

Sakura sighed in annoyance as she said, "If this is about your son's-."

"One of my great grandchildren actually," Marie corrected.

"If this is about your grandson's proposal, I already gave him my answer," Sakura said seeing that there was no use hiding it now.

"Proposal?" Spinel said waking up from his nap.

"This is about far more than a proposal dear."

Sakura looked around and sighed. The sooner she got this over with, the sooner she could go back to her vacation and spending time with her friends.

"Fine," she muttered as she got up. "We can go in my room."

Sakura got up, led the woman out the room (ignoring the protest of Syaoran and Eriol), and upstairs to her room.

"You can have a seat."

"No thank you," Marie said. "I don't want to keep you. I was just curious though, about why exactly you turned down my grandson."

"I don't love him," Sakura said simply.

"Hm… Understandable I guess."

Sakura blinked. That was the last thing she expected to hear her say.

"What?"

"I understand," Marie said. "I apologize for my grandson's forwardness on the matter. He can be quite aggressive in his undertakings sometimes."

"I…" Sakura wasn't quite sure what to make of the woman, and decided maybe it was better not to say anything just yet.

"However, that's my grandson's business. I have something else to ask you about."

"What?"

"An alliance," Marie said. "My family is very powerful and with us backing you, you would never have to worry or want for anything?"

"I wouldn't have to get married would I?" Sakura asked dryly.

"Of course not. I just want your help with something," Marie replied. "I want to know Clow's secret."

"Secret?" Sakura asked.

"The cards," Marie said bluntly. "You show me how to make them."

"You want to replicate them?" Sakura asked in shock.

"Not exactly."

Sakura narrowed her eyes in distrust. "This is about you wanting to conquer life and death."

"Very well informed," Marie said not seeming the least bit bothered.

"I don't… I don't want that power, and I won't help you get it," Sakura said softly. "Everyone has to die eventually."

"Then tell me. What's the point of acquiring wealth and power and fame or even falling in love only for it to not matter because we can't take it with us when death comes. Should people who can do all that have to die? Should loved ones have to mourn for those who pass? Should we have to suffer that pain?"

"It does hurt," Sakura admitted. "My mother died when I little and I don't remember a lot about her. But, she's always here with me, in my heart and as long as my love for her never dies, neither will she, not really. She'll live on."

Marie was silent for a long time, before she finally laughed and said in an amused tone, "What a silly philosophy. Love does no good if you have to die. It's just a feeling that no one knows exist or not because you can't see it. But wealth, power, and the people who have it, you can see all that."

"That's not true, what you said about love. You can see it. You just have to know how to look for it. And I'm sorry you don't know how to," Sakura said smiling sadly at Marie. "I won't help you and even if I were willing, I haven't even figured out how to replicate the magic Clow used to make the cards."

"But you inherited it. Good enough," Marie pointed out.

Sakura didn't answer in something of a daze. Marie hummed a little and then asked, "Who is it?"

"Hm?"

"Forgive me for being curious. I'm just wondering who is this person that you love so much, that you're willing to refuse my offer and my grandson's proposal?" Marie asked.

Sakura put a hand on one of her red cheeks and said, "What makes you ask that?"

"There must be someone. You know so much about the topic."

"If there is, I don't think it's your concern," Sakura said sighing.

Marie looked at her strangely indifferent before smiling and saying, "I guess I'll take my leave then."

She disappeared before Sakura's eyes. Sakura frowned. She was gone now, but Sakura couldn't help but feel something ominous on the horizon. Marie Voss was such a strange woman. It was difficult for Sakura to read the woman's reactions, even with her empathy. Sakura had never come across someone so void of emotion, so unfeeling. Yue wasn't even like that. He wasn't void of emotions, just guarded them well. Speaking of him…

"I know you're standing there Yue," she said with a grin as she went to the door and peeked out to see him standing right outside it. "You worry too much. Everything was fine."

"If you weren't so reckless, maybe I wouldn't have to."

"I'm not reckless!" Sakura replied indignantly.

Yue didn't answer, only appeared to be trying not to laugh at her.

"You like to make me upset on purpose," Sakura grumbled looking like she was ten again.

This time Yue did laugh at her and Sakura scrunched up her face and started to walk past him to go downstairs but Yue stopped her as he draped an arm across her waist.

"Let's stay up here for a while. It's too noisy down there," he said pulling her to him and burying his face in her hair.

"We can't leave them waiting," Sakura said a blush on face. She loved when it was just her and Yue. He wouldn't act like this in front of other people, only for her. He slipped his other arm around her waist and rested his hand to stop under her shirt. She giggled.

"Wait a minute," Sakura said trying to pull away. "They'll know something's up for sure."

"It wouldn't be the first time you used TIME for it," Yue pointed out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> I added that little cutesy ending when I first wrote this because it was so damn cute and I was trying to build up because I'm not comfortable writing intimate scenes and that's a reflection of the fact that I'm not a very emotional or intimate person myself. I can do it. It just makes me uncomfortable. So I hope you enjoyed it. Time to get the ball rolling.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	4. Precautions

**AN: **I would have posted this early this morning, but I had to manage my blog and do a few chores. Anyway, thanks for the reviews and the feedback. Between school, blogging, writing, homework, family, and this, I'm tired. Only a couple of weeks of school and then I can take a break. So after this chapter, the ball really gets to rolling and a lot more events start happening. So bare with me and be glad. I'm notorious for cliffhangers once I start getting into a story. Until then though…

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four<br>Precautions  
><strong>

Everyone was quiet when Sakura and Yue finally came down the stairs, no doubt wondering what Marie had wanted and the proposal Sakura had mentioned. Sakura sat down and everyone looked at her expectantly. She decided to explain from the beginning.

"Sakura," Tomoyo said first though. "Are you okay? You look a little flush."

"Huh," Sakura said covering her cheeks to hide the blush forming. "I'm fine."

"You sure? Now that she mentions it, you do look a little feverish. You're not sick, are you?" Nakuru asked.

"I'm fine," Sakura said quickly pointedly avoided looking at Yue.

"So when did the Voss family get into contact with you?" Syaoran asked.

"You know them?" Sakura asked.

"Can't help but," Meiling said. "They've been trying to marry into our family for ages. You'd be best not to get involved with them Sakura."

"She's right," Syaoran admitted. "Most of the families try and keep kindly with them because they are powerful, but they're not exactly held in that high of esteem."

"She hasn't been trying to get involved, but it seems like Marie's entire family has inherited her ambition," Kero said enjoying the food FIREY and SWEET had brought out earlier.

"Start from the beginning," Eriol said.

"Well," Sakura said beginning to tick off on her fingers. "First her grandson Domink sent me a necklace, then he sent me some perfume, and then he came here personally to seal the deal I guess and tried to give me a ring. I didn't take it and told him no."

"How did he take it?" Eriol asked her.

"Good I suppose. He left," Sakura said shrugging.

"And what did Marie want?" Kaho asked.

"She wants an alliance on the grounds that the mistress shows her how to make the cards," Yue replied speaking for the first time causing everyone, except Sakura, to start a little. It was easy to forget he was standing right behind Sakura.

"Why would she want that?" Tomoyo asked confused.

"She wants to conquer life and death and the easiest way to do that would be to put them in card form," Eriol said. "She suggested it to Clow when she was much younger, but he refused because he didn't believe life and death were forces to be messed with and he was right. Terrible things have happened to people who tried to master them. They aren't easy forces to control, and they don't like being mastered. They have destroyed people who tried to conquer them."

"Does Marie know that?" Sakura asked

Eriol nodded. "Of course she does. That why she's not dumb enough to do it alone though she's been looking for a way and the easiest way would be to make cards for them. That's why she wants Sakura to teach her how to make the cards. But even then, it would take someone powerful to be able to tame the two forces long enough to make a card for them."

"Well, I haven't even figured out how to make the cards yet or even where to begin," Sakura said. "So I won't be any help to her."

Eriol frowned, giving Sakura a penetrating stare.

"What?"

Eriol shook his head. "It's nothing. Just be careful. Marie doesn't give up too easily. She and her son will be back in one way or another."

Everyone was silent, the atmosphere tense until Nakuru said, "Wow! These are good. How did you make these Sakura?"

Sakura looked at the tart Nakuru had and grinned.

"I didn't. SWEET did. I'm sure there's more where that came from in the kitchen," Sakura assured.

"Then why are we still in here," Nakuru said. "We can all catch up in the kitchen."

Everyone followed Nakuru's lead and headed into the kitchen. Sakura got up only to yawn a little before sighing. Eriol and Kero hung back with her and Yue.

Eriol smiled. "Tired?"

Sakura blushed. "Just a little."

Kero snickered. "Sure. You and Yue used TIME again, didn't you?"

Sakura put her hands on her cheek as her neck and cheeks turned red. "I better go and make sure SWEET and FIREY are still getting along. You coming Yue?"

Yue nodded silently and followed Sakura into the kitchen.

"TIME?" Eriol asked Kero.

"Ever since Sakura's dad cracked down on Sakura using her magic and staying up all night during school, she been very creative about making more time for her and Yue," Kero said with a grin. "And the cards are only too happy to help. They like Yue better now that he's with Sakura."

* * *

><p>"You're certainly in a good mood," Dominik pointed out as he met his grandmother at the entrance to their estate. "It must have gone well."<p>

"No," Maries said sighing almost wistfully. "She still said no."

Dominik was obviously puzzled.

"Then why…?"

"She has a weakness. For all her refusal to help me, she has a strong sense of friendship and love. And even though she believes people never die as long as you remember them, I could see that she holds someone dear to her heart, someone who wouldn't be easy for her to let go of. We just have to figure out who it is," Marie said as she walked towards her mansion.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. People who talk like that always have one person that's their biggest weakness. She'll come running to me in desperation to save them," Marie said. "I know. I've already planted the seed."

"And how are you going to do that?"

"We'll test the strength of that little heart of hers, see what makes the card mistress tick. Get your sisters to help you."

Dominik rolled his eyes. "I'd rather be boiled alive than deal with that bunch of bipolar madness."

"They have their uses and you need their help. This is the end of this conversation. I expect you to get started soon."

* * *

><p>"You would think you've never been to a sleepover before Meiling," Sakura said after Meiling had practically begged her to let her spend the night.<p>

"Don't be silly Sakura," Nakuru said coming in the kitchen with more dishes. "She's here for the same reason I am and that's to get the scoop on what you and Yue have been up to."

Sakura let out a small squeak, almost dropping the dish she was washing.

Nakuru sighed. "This would be so much easier if you just used magic."

"I know. But I don't like to be too dependent on it. I like to do things for myself."

"It would be doing it for yourself. You'd just be using magic to do it," Nakuru replied. "Better yet, just let Yue and Cerberus do it, and we'll go straight upstairs."

"Then that will defeat the point because Yue's just going to use magic," Sakura pointed out.

"Yeah… He's too prissy to do manual labor," Nakuru muttered.

Tomoyo, Nakuru, and Meiling laughed, while Sakura held back a snicker.

"Well… He'll usually work out in the garden with me, and he'll do the laundry and help me make dinner without magic. Washing dishes is different because Kero likes to get the sprayer and spray him with it when he's not paying attention," Sakura said laughing.

Tomoyo sighed. "I wish I could find someone as sweet to me as Yue is to Sakura. Sakura is so lucky."

"Where is he anyway?" Nakuru asked.

"Probably hiding on the roof," Sakura replied. "Every time Tomoyo's here she tries to get him to be her doll."

"I wouldn't treat Yue like a doll, but if I'm designing your clothes I need to design his too."

"I don't blame him for not letting you if those costumes you make for Sakura are what you have in mind," Meiling said in a dry tone

"But Sakura loves my costumes," Tomoyo said looking at Sakura who sweat dropped and nodded at the girl's insistence. Tomoyo continued, "Besides, they wouldn't be as elaborate and frilly as Sakura's. Yue needs something simpler and more streamlined, regal even. I've already got some things in mind but I need his measurements. Sakura can you get them for me?"

"There is no way I'm getting between you and Yue," Sakura muttered.

"Hmp."

"But enough about my love life," Sakura said attempting to change the subject. "What about you all's?"

"You know well enough that mine is non-existent right now," Tomoyo said. "Besides, yours is so much more interesting."

"And it's private," Sakura grumbled.

"Yue's rubbed off on you," Nakuru said.

"It's not that," Sakura whispered. "Yue won't say it to me, but there's certain things he's just not comfortable with being out in the open. He's a very private person and so unless he doesn't mind, I'm not going to say anything."

Meiling and Tomoyo sighed.

"What?"

"I'm so jealous," Meiling admitted.

"At least you still have Syaoran," Tomoyo said.

"I do not," Meiling said quickly.

"As if you weren't scheming how to get back with him as soon as you were sure they were done for good," Tomoyo said with an innocent smile.

Meiling squeaked and hid her face behind the plate she was drying.

"What makes you say that?"

"Just a hunch," Tomoyo said. "So what's the plan?"

"Plan?"

"There's got to be something," Tomoyo said and then sighed. "Don't worry. We'll discuss it upstairs. It'll be so much fun, especially since Sakura didn't need my help at all for Yue. I can't believe she's grown up so much."

Sakura sighed in exasperation exchanging a look with Nakuru and Meiling before they all laughed at Tomoy's antics. It certainly wasn't the end of it for the night as she and Meiling planned, and Sakura jokingly suggested that she and Nakuru should hatch a plan to match Tomoyo with someone to give her a taste of her own medicine.

It was well into the night before they settled down for bed, but Sakura lay awake long after. She sat up on her arm and glanced around to make sure the other three girls were asleep before tiptoeing out of bed and slipping out her room. She was certain not to wake up her dad, who had returned earlier that evening, even though she suspected he knew she spent quite a few more nights in Yue's room than her own. What Sakura came across when she got to the room was a sight that Sakura had only come to once since Yue had moved into the house. When she first saw it, she laughed a lot, but it wasn't as funny a sight now, not when she was a little tired anyway.

"Yeah!" Kero was saying. "I'm ahead. You can't win this time bro!"

Yue didn't reply, calm as ever.

"No way! How'd you do that? Yue, are you using magic!" Kero demanded trying to get ahead in the race to no avail. "NOOO!"

Sakura giggled at the sight, alerting the two to her presence. Yue set the controller to the game down on the floor. Sakura covered her mouth to stifle her laughter.

"You actually managed to get him to play this game again?" Sakura asked.

"Well," Kero said before Yue could respond. "We have to occupy our time somehow when you're not here."

"You all could always leave the house you know?" Sakura said sitting on the bed.

"Yue's not going anywhere if he doesn't have to. I don't think he's ever even used his false form before," Kero added. "So are they sleep yet?"

Sakura nodded.

"Good," Kero muttered. "I'm tired, and I wouldn't want to intrude on you two. But it's not like you need the time since you did stop it today. You really need to stop doing that."

"I don't use it all the time," Sakura said trying to keep her cheeks from heating up.

"Often enough though, right?"

Kero narrowly missed a pillow that went flying at him as he dashed out the room, slamming the door behind him. Sakura winced as she went to retrieve the pillow, hoping the noise of the door slamming hadn't awakened her father.

"I didn't think you'd come tonight," Yue said as she settling next to him against the bed. Sakura never understand why he'd rather sit on the floor than the bed.

"Are you kidding?" Sakura asked. "I thought it would take forever for them to fall asleep."

"That's no way to treat your guests."

"I didn't invite them," Sakura said as she remembered exactly how she was roped into letting them stay. Tomoyo suggested it for her and Meiling and then Nakuru whined about being left out and wanting to come to the sleep over too. Sakura couldn't find it in her to say no.

Yue didn't answer, only closed his eyes. Sakura out of the blue then summoned a random card to her hand, the WINDY, and looked at it.

"Yue?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think it was a coincidence that we had just talked about how to replicate and create more cards when Marie came asking about it?" she asked.

Yue opened his eyes and looked at the card she was holding. Sakura waited patiently while he thought about it. Finally he shook his head.

"I don't think Marie planned it that way, if that's what you mean. But it is interesting you were thinking about it."

"Well maybe that's a sign I shouldn't try to replicate them. At least until this entire thing with the Voss Clan blows by. What do you think?"

Yue shrugged, and Sakura sat on her knees next to him.

"Come on. I really need your opinion on this. Should I proceed with caution or just stop all together."

"In the end, it's your choice."

"That's true, but still," Sakura insisted.

Yue gave her that odd look he always gave her when she was doing something that he couldn't quite comprehend. Sakura held back a sigh. Sometimes, she had a feeling Yue was afraid of pushing his boundaries with her because part of him still thought of her as his _mistress_ instead of his _lover_. Of course, he was better than before, but he still had his moments. She waited patiently for him to say something and was rewarded after a while.

"I doubt this is the last we've heard of her. It might be safer to wait a few days instead of getting started first thing in the morning."

"I couldn't get started first thing in the morning if I wanted to. Chiharu, Naoka, and Rika heard Meiling was coming back into town and wanted to go shopping and out to lunch or something," Sakura said and then added, "They asked me to ask if you would come."

She could sense Yue's displeasure at the mere thought though he didn't show it and Sakura laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.

She laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

"You don't have to answer. I only said I would ask," Sakura replied. "But I'm going to get you out of the house one of these days."

"_Where am I…?"_

_Sakura looked around as she tried to move and then muttered to herself._

"_It's that dream again…" she said as she looked around and saw the full moon in the sky._

"_Yue, Kero," she called sensing them nearby. "Where are you?"_

_Then she felt the heaviness in the air again as light flashed and those two women appeared only briefly._

"_No," she said remembering what happened next. "No!"_

_A streak of red. A scream._

"_No!" she said sensing pain._

Sakura launched herself forward, only to nearly fall over the edge of the foot of the bed head first, if it weren't for Yue catching her. She pulled up and sat on the bed, staring blankly at the comforters, not even noticing when her company rushed in the room.

"Sakura," Tomoyo said. "Are you okay?"

Sakura blinked. "I… I'm fine I think."

"You think?" Meiling huffed. "You screamed. I wouldn't be surprised if the entire neighborhood heard you."

"I did…" Sakura said trailing off.

"It was awful," Tomoyo said starting to step into the room and then stopping. Sakura noticed, her dream forgotten for the moment.

"What?"

"I…" Tomoyo looked at Yue. "Is it alright if we come in?"

That's when Sakura realized she was still in Yue's room. He must have let her stay there the night before. She looked at the clock to make sure it was definitely the night before. Eight o'clock.

Yue nodded and Tomoyo and Meiling sat on the bed next to Sakura, while Nakuru and Kero stood next to Yue. She was clearly shaken by whatever she had seen, though doing an impressive job brushing it off.

"This isn't the first time she's had that dream, is it?" Nakuru asked.

"No," Yue said. "She had it a week or so ago."

"I don't like this," Kero said with his arms crossed. "It's been years since she's had a dream like this. I think it has something to do with the Voss family. We should keep an eye out for anything strange."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> I contemplated drawing this chapter out, but it's already nearly three thousand words, so I didn't because the next scene is nearly two thousand words itself, but I tell you what. Since it's the weekend and I have the time, I'll post the next chapter tomorrow if I get… Five reviews by the end of the day and I mean Eastern Time end of the day so that roughly gives everyone twelve hours. If not, Monday's only three days away. No big deal.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	5. The Magic Council

**AN: **I really should be working on a presentation that's due in two days and an essay due in three, but it will be done. I'll get it done. You all will love this chapter and at first I questioned the actual need for the first scene of this, but I believe it's necessary for the transition into the scene afterwards. Again, you'll love it and you can thank me just by squealing in your review that you loved it and looked forward to more. No need for in depth critique and long reviews if you don't have a lot to say.

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Five<br>The Magic Council**

It was obvious that Sakura's dream was continuing to haunt her, even though she still agreed to go shopping with Meiling, Tomoyo, Nakuru, and the girls from their class before they took off on their own vacations for the summer. Sakura tried not to show it though. But it was when she got those quiet moments to think, like when Tomoyo was gushing over finding inspiration for a new design and everyone's attention was directed elsewhere that it bothered her.

Could her dream have something to do with everything that was happening with the Voss Clan? Sakura didn't see how. The situation was annoying, but nowhere near life threatening, not to produce that kind of pain, that kind of terror…

Sakura blinked out her thoughts when a pale hand holding a steaming cup of her favorite tea appeared in front of her. She looked up to see Yue standing in front of her wearing his usual neutral expression but she could see the concern in his eyes.

"You look worried," Yue said to her as he came into the room.

"I am," Sakura said making room for him on the bed. More and more, she found herself spending the night in Yue's room than in her own, especially when her dad wasn't in the house.

"It's that dream you had isn't it," Yue said knowingly not sitting down yet.

"_Hai_. It's just that scream. Whoever it was sounded so terrified, like their whole world had come to an end right before their eyes," Sakura muttered. "They were in so much pain."

"You don't remember anything else?"

"No," Sakura said shaking her head. "Nothing important besides a flash of red and a brief image of two women I think, and I know this is important but I can't figure it out."

"Well then, continuing to dwell on it seems pointless."

Sakura smiled a little. It was a typical response of his.

"I know but it's hard not to."

Silence permeated the room, the only thing filling it seeming to be Yue's increasing worry over her though he wasn't showing it. She knew how he felt, wanting to do something but feeling helpless to do it. He was as lost about the vision as she was. Everyone who knew (which was only her two guardians and the girls that had been there the night before) was confused about it. The last time Sakura had a vision so vague was when she was capturing the last few cards and unknowingly dreaming of her first encounter with Yue. Then she remembered that many times she had that dream but rarely fully remembered it. Was it possible she had seen everything and just didn't remember it? She began to voice her assumption until Yue held out his hand to her.

"What?" she asked completely losing her train of thought as she grabbed his hand.

"Come on," he said taking her to the window. "You look like you could use some fresh air."

Sakura blinked and then smiled at him as he first climbed out the window and then helped her out into his waiting arms.

"I can fly on my own you know," she said.

"I know," he said simply as he took to the skies with her.

Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck and let him carry her, closing her eyes.

"Where do you want to go?"

"It doesn't matter," Sakura said shrugging.

Yue nodded, Sakura trusting him to take her where ever. Yue knew what she needed the most even when Sakura didn't realize she needed it. She was so out of tune to where they were going that Sakura was surprised when they landed. She opened her eyes and let out a small 'oh'. She remembered this shrine very well though she hadn't been back since the last time she was here, when she was eleven, even though she flew over it many times.

"I haven't been back here since that day I met you," Sakura said looked around the shrine listening to the wind chimes gently chiming in the light breeze.

"Neither have I," Yue admitted as Sakura let go of him and went to a specific spot, a clear view of Tokyo Tower in the distance.

"I was right here," she said.

"When?"

"When I first saw you," Sakura replied. "And I remember having mixed feelings about the entire situation. I was worried about Yukito, wondering what the judgment was, and trying to figure out if I was going to able to bring myself to fight someone who on first glance looked like an angel…"

Sakura tried to go back in time to when she was eleven years old and first laid eyes on Yue. She remembered being in awe at first and then shocked by his apparent coldness. She had figured out very quickly it was because he didn't think anyone was worthy of taking Clow Reed's place as his master and to be honest, she didn't think she was worthy of it either which was why she had tried her best to appease to him before and during their fight and finally getting through to him after she had subdued him. Even then, now that she looked back on it, he had thought it was too good to be true and his coldness had been something she learned to live with even after he started to accept her, at least until he began to really warm up to her as a friend and companion instead of just his _mistress_.

"You were so intimidating back then," she said absently.

"I suppose I didn't exactly make a good first impression."

"You weren't particularly nice back then," Sakura said and then added, "But not mean either."

"If forcing you to fight me without any regard to your feelings wasn't mean, I don't know what is," Yue said dryly.

"You were just doing your job. You were supposed to be tough on me," Sakura said smiling at him. "But even then I was drawn toward you. Sometimes I wonder if you were the reason I was so attracted to Yukito. I think some part of me was aware you were there."

"If we're talking about it magically, then I was the reason. But I have a feeling, that's not what you mean."

Sakura laughed and then pointed to a spot ahead of her. "You were standing, floating actually, right there with that same expression you have when you don't want to be bothered and want to get something over with. What did you think of me then?"

Yue didn't answer immediately, first because he was taken a little by surprise at her question and next because he couldn't remember right off the bat or at least, he wasn't sure if he was remembering right. It was so far away from what he thought of her now, he wondered if he had ever thought it. He remembered feeling indifferent and scornful, that a little girl thought she could possibly defeat him and then annoyed at what he had thought had been cowardice when he tried to force her to fight him. Then after his defeat he had felt bitter amusement at her desire for friendship between them. He had mistaken it for naivety, but later learned was simply her pure-heartedness. She wasn't as naïve as she sometimes acted… He frowned a little and looked to the side. Maybe Cerberus had a point. He had been harsh.

"I don't think you want to know," he said honestly.

"Come on," Sakura said trying not to laugh at the expression he was trying not to show. Did he really think so horrible of her then?

Yue was silent for a long time as he contemplated how to put it nicely.

"I didn't think very much of you. I was insulted that a little girl even thought she could defeat me and take Clow's place."

"I wasn't trying to."

"I know that now. You turned out to be much different than I thought you'd be."

"Anything else?"

"You were just as determined and stubborn then as you are now, even in the midst of your confusion and fear." That was about the only thing remotely good Yue had probably thought of her at the time.

Sakura grinned. "That wasn't so bad. The way you were talking I would have thought you thought much worse."

"I did," Yue admitted. "And I'm not telling you what."

Sakura laughed went over to Yue's side saying, "We really have come a long way since then. I'm glad," she added pecking him on the cheek.

Yue smiled at her a little as she pulled him along next to her to go for a walk on the grounds. They stopped at a pond, light filling it from the dim half moon in the sky. Sakura slipped off her flip flops and sat next to it, patting the damp ground for Yue to join her. She leaned against him and sighed.

"Thank you Yue," she said to him. "You always know just what I need to make me feel better. That's why Marie and her family can offer me all the power and money in the world and I wouldn't want it if I had to trade you for it."

He stiffened, a blush slowly making its way to his cheeks. But Sakura only giggled, sensing his bashfulness as he hid his eyes underneath his bangs. She grinned. It was always fun to mess with Yue when he got like this. One would think that after nearly six months, he'd be used to her teasing. She looked up at him and he raised his eyebrows at the impish sparkle in her eye. She sat up sat in his lap with her knees on either side of him as she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck. He tried in vain to hold back the heat that rose to his cheeks as he realized exactly what she was up to.

She giggled. "You're so shy," she teased.

If anything, that caused Yue to blush more. Then he gasped when she bumped her hips into his under the pretense of shifting into a more comfortable position. He glared at her, but he imagined it didn't have the effect he would have liked with his face still red. She only giggled again before leaning forward to kiss him. Yue, no longer as shocked by her boldness as he had been when they first became lovers, returned the gesture this time surprising Sakura when he licked her lips for entry into her mouth. She granted him so and allowed him to taste to inside of her mouth with his tongue.

Yue then wrapped his arms around her and gently toppled them over so that Sakura was lying on the ground and he over her.

"We should go home," he said to her, heart racing.

Sakura leaned up and nipped his ear whispering, "It's fine. No one's around. I checked."

There was a deep rumbling sound coming from Yue's chest, something she started to refer to as akin to a purr at her breath near his ear.

"Last time you said that your brother saw us and tried to kill me a few minutes later," he said but started to trail kisses from her collar bone and up her neck nonetheless with his hands under her shirt playing with the area around her breasts.

"You don't seem to mind," she struggled to say coherently but found it hard as she was starting to lose all coherent thought but nonetheless finding it in her to properly call the LOOP and ILLUSION into play so no one could disturb them.

* * *

><p>Annoyed. Frustrated, bothered, perturbed, exasperated, agitated? None of those words seemed to sum up Hiragizawa Eriol's irritation at that moment. Not much bothered him. When a person had inherited the patience and wisdom of their previous life, not much could get under his or her skin. But the <em>Magic Council<em> was proving to be one of the things on the short list of things that could irritate him.

"I still don't see why you need to bother her. She's sixteen and my heir to boot. She's done nothing wrong, not to warrant your attention. What's the problem?" Eriol asked trying to keep the frustration out his tone.

"You may very well be Clow Reed's reincarnation Mr. Hiragizawa, but you are not Clow Reed," the Head of the Council stated.

"Yet you're coming to me about issues concerning her," Eriol pointed out.

"You're not the only one. As we speak, we've sent a representative over to the two members of the Li Clan residing here and her brother."

"So what are you doing? Spying on her? That certainly seems cowardly of you. Why not just go talk to her yourself?"

"We intend to," the man assured.

"What's this all about?" Kaho asked from next to Eriol, cutting of any response he might have had.

"A concern that came to our attention about her in light of how powerful the girl is."

"She's just what you said, a girl. How would you know how powerful she is?" Eriol asked.

"Being mistress of those cards, being able to demand the respect and loyalty of both her guardians passed down from a previous master no less, and being able to support one of those said guardians with her own magic and life force certainly makes it obvious."

Eriol didn't like the way the man said it. He spoke as though Sakura would eventually be some kind of threat that had to be put in check.

"Sakura's a very special sorceress is all. You can relax. She's not a threat," Eriol said. "There's no need to bother her. She's sixteen. Let her live her life. She's just one sorceress."

"That's the point. How is it with so little magical connections and training that she's grown so much?"

"What is this?" Rubi Moon said with her arms crossed. "An interrogation? You act like someone's committed a crime."

"Not at all," the man said calmly.

"It would certainly seem so," Spinel Sun insisted.

"It's alright," Eriol said to his guardians before turning his attention back to the man. "I've helped Sakura come quite a long way and she's very stubborn and studious when it comes to her magic. It's as simple as that."

"Even so," the council member said calmly, "it's just a precaution. You do understand, don't you?"

Damn, Eriol thought grudgingly nodding his head wanting nothing more than to banish the man to oblivion.

"Thank you for your time Mr. Hiragizawa. Have a pleasant evening."

The man disappeared and Eriol gripped his staff tightly. Kaho put her hand over his.

"Calm down," she said softly before adding, "We should warn Sakura."

* * *

><p>Kero stared at the game in full concentration, trying to best his previous record and time on the game.<p>

"Come on…" he said to himself as he went ahead. "Come on…"

He was vaguely aware of Sakura's phone ringing in the background, but ignored it. Whoever it was could wait until Sakura came back into the room, or at least until she came to check it the next morning. So he continued to let it ring until it stopped. He was almost there…

The phone rang again a few minutes later and this time it was starting to annoy Kero, especially because the ringtone was that American music Sakura liked so much. He'd pick it up as soon as he was done, as soon as he won the game.

"Come on, come on, come on, ten seconds…."

All it took was a slip of the hand for him to lose two or three seconds and fail in beating his record time.

"NOOO!" Kero said launching into the air with tears in his eyes. "I almost had it."

He stopped when he heard the phone start to ring again. Whoever it was, it was their third time calling, so it must have been important. Kero went over to the phone, looking at the ID and saw that it was that kid, Li Syaoran. He sighed as he answered it.

"This better be good kid. This phone ringing made me lose my concentration."

"Whatever plush toy," Meiling snapped harshly. "Where's Sakura?"

"Meiling? Hello to you too," Kero said smartly.

"Kero!"

Kero sighed. "Alright. Alright. She's probably in Yue's room. Why?"

"Well I called her phone three times in a row, so I obviously need to talk to her."

"No need to be all rude about it. Is it really that important?" Kero asked floating out the room to go to his brother's room.

"Yes! There's a woman here and she's on the magic council. She's asking Syaoran questions about Sakura!"

"What?" Kero said flying faster to Yue's door instead of in his lazy float. When he got there he pounded on the door. The Magic Council didn't make personal visits, so it was a big deal for them to come personally ask about a sorceress. They usually sent representatives. "Why?"

"I don't know, but give Sakura the head's up. No doubt they'll be there soon. I already called Tomoyo and she's on her way there. You know how they can be."

"Ugh," Kero said realizing no one had answered him as he pounded on the door again. "Sakura, Yue. Get out here. The Magic Council is on their way here."

When there was no answer, Kero sighed, putting his hand on the door to detect what kind of magic Sakura had used this time to make sure she and Yue weren't disturbed. Next time he'd tell Sakura to take her phone with her. Then again, she might not have answered it at all if she had it with her. Maybe it was a good thing she left it with him. He frowned when he didn't sense any magic around the room and tried the doorknob, hoping he wouldn't have to fly outside and around to the window. It turned out to be open, so he cautiously twisted the door knob and opened the door, just in case…

"Kero, what's taking so long?" Meiling asked.

"We've got a problem," he said into the phone as he stared into an empty room. "Sakura's not here."

"What do you mean she's not there?" Meiling asked.

"I mean, she and Yue left the house. She's not here," Kero said getting increasingly agitated with Sakura and Yue. The least they could do was tell him where they were going, especially if Sakura was going to leave her phone. This was an emergency for goodness sake.

"You don't know where she went?"

"It's always that way with those two," Kero said sighing. "I'll go look for them. When they leave I need you and Syaoran over here to stall if we're not back first."

Kero swore that as soon as he did find them, he was going to give them a piece of his mind for the trouble they put him through when they went on their love trysts in the middle of the night.

"Tonight of all nights to leave without telling anyone," Kero snapped as he returned to his true form.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> I don't do lemons, so before anyone request one, no. Bout this chapter is the closest I'll get, maybe a little closer, but that's all. This is one of the few scenes like that in the one in the first scene, mainly because I'm trying to stick to the tone of Cardcaptor Sakura, but I am dealing with a cast that's sixteen and up so I'm well aware of what sixteen year olds get up to unsupervised. I wasn't sixteen too long ago so I definitely know.

Anywho, there are a lot of one shots that come out that scene because I realize this is six months from the end of the prequel story so there was an interesting transition where Yue and Sakura go from a girl and her guardian companion to lovers. But those are stories for another day. So now we have this magic council. I got the idea for that partially from vampire knight, but the function is different.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	6. The Magic Council Part II

**AN: **Excuse any errors. I was half sleep when I edited this. I'll come back and re-edit it later if I have to. Nothing to really say except I'm exhausted and I have so much to do. So to make me feel better leave lots of reviews just like you did for me last chapter!

Read, enjoy, and review!

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><p><strong>Chapter Six<strong>

**The Magic Council Part II**

"Yue," Sakura panted against his lips as she continued to kiss him. No matter how close they got, she could never convince him, that she was ready, always the protective guardian. This was what she wanted and he found himself unable to say no to everything else except this one request, a request for both of them. She didn't have to voice it. He already knew and she was starting to sense his hesitancy the closer they got a point of no return. She unwrapped her legs from around his waist and locked her arms around his back, under his open but still remaining robes. She ran her hands up and down his back as she held him against her.

Her actions were enough said and Yue kissed her throat while muttering, "I don't want you to regret anything because you feel like you're being rushed."

"I've never regretted anything that had to do with me and you, Yue," Sakura whispered kissing his hair.

Yue sighed, breathing in her scent as his hand trailed down to tease the band of her shorts. Sakura moved her head over to kiss him again, only for both to suddenly stop a hair's width away. They were silent for the span of a heartbeat before Yue let out an expletive, surprising Sakura as she went through her memory trying to recall an occasion where he might have done the same thing.

"It's Cerberus," Yue said confirming what they both sensed.

Sakura nearly let out an expletive of her own as she squeaked and snatched her top from where it had been carelessly thrown, while cursing now more than ever the fact that she didn't wear a bra at night. At least it wasn't one of the fitted ones she usually wore when it was cold. But because it had been a rather warm evening, she chose one that wouldn't stick to her as much if it got hot during the night. When she had thrown it back on, she help Yue to redo his robes and tie the sash at his waist before calling back the ILUSION and LOOP just as Cerberus started to approach them in the sky. He landed looking more than a little agitated.

"That's it. You two are going to have to find someone else to look out for you all when you go on your stupid love trysts," he said not even bothering to mention their disheveled appearance as the two stood. "Honestly, as if it isn't hard enough to throw your dad off and cover for you during the school year. Now when there's an emergency I have to go out looking for you. Do you know how big this city is and how nostalgic Yue is? I went to three places before finally-."

"Kero," Sakura said stopping him in the middle of his tirade. "Emergency."

"Oh yeah," Cerberus said getting back to the task at hand. "You've got to get back home right now. The Magic Council's on their way. Actually they were on their way an hour ago. "

"Who?" Sakura asked irritated with whoever they were for interrupting her time with Yue.

"The Magic Council," Yue said dryly. "They certainly do know how to time things."

"No kidding," Cerberus said.

"Who is the magic Council?" Sakura said.

"We'll explain on the way," Cerberus said. "Come on. We have to go. I don't know how long the council will wait before they just come find you themselves and you certainly don't want them to find you in this state," he added in all seriousness.

* * *

><p>Sakura's mind was spinning with the information Yue and Cerberus had crammed into her. She hadn't known the magical community was as organized as they said, let alone that there was a council or some type of organizational structure. In hindsight it made sense. Someone had to keep them from practically ruling the world with their magic. Still, her guardians had assured her, though, that it was normal for a lone sorceress like her not to know about the broader magic community, unless she was directly tied into a magic family or had some kind of formal training (she didn't even know what little training she had was informal). However, they both pointed out that it was unusual for the council to pick a lone sorceress out for a visit, even Clow Reed's heir.<p>

"There," Tomoyo said putting the finishing touches on the outfit she had made Sakura.

"It's not as frilly and puffy as usual," Cerberus pointed out.

In fact, the design was rather simple and elegant. It was a purple dress with a fitted bodice, whose skirt flared out from the waist to the knees. It was accompanied by a purple robe with gold trimming that fell to the floor.

"You're right. It's not. But it's supposed to be part of a set of matching robes for her and Yue," Tomoyo said sighing. "I didn't want her to wear it until Yue agreed to wear his, but since this was a special occasion, I decided to go ahead and let her wear it."

"You made Yue one?" Cerberus said snickering.

"They would look so good together," Tomoyo said sighing. "Of course Yue's needs to be tailored, and I can't do that until I get his measurements and let him try it on."

"What's taking you so long?" Meiling said coming into the room.

"Just making the finishing touches on Sakura's outfit," Tomoyo said recording the occasion. "What do you think?"

"Lovely. Really," Meiling said grabbing Sakura's arm. "Now come on. They're waiting."

Sakura quite honestly still didn't even see the big deal about this Magic Council even as Meiling practically dragged her down the stairs to the living room where two men and a woman were sitting on the couch. Eriol was sitting across the couch with Syaoran, who was glaring daggers at the members particularly the woman. Eriol, though outwardly calm was inwardly brewing a quiet storm of emotions on the inside, ranging from anger to concern. Sakura had a feeling, her natural empathy made the tension in the room feel much worse than it was. Still, Sakura didn't get what was going on.

"Hello," she said politely. "I hope you weren't waiting long."

"We were," one of the men, appearing to be in his forties said. "It was quite rude of you."

"Well," Sakura said as the irritation she felt earlier from being interrupted from her time with Yue flared again, "It's also quite rude to suddenly pay someone a visit in the middle of the night unannounced or without prior warning."

None of them showed it, but Sakura was very aware of their shock. At what? She wasn't sure.

"In any case," Sakura said continued, "I don't think we've met before."

"There's no need," the woman with long red hair said. "We know you and that's what we're here for."

Sakura tried not to frown at the rude response. She was liking these people less and less by the second. And Kero called Yue mean. At least he had always been polite.

"Kinomoto Sakura, correct?" the woman continued ignoring her comment.

"_Hai_," Sakura replied.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. We've heard quite a bit about you," the other man appearing in his late thirties said.

"I wish I could return the sentiment," Sakura said feeling no obligation to be polite if they were only going to be rude to her.

"Yes," the woman said not fazed. "That's to be expected. You've never been fully integrated into the magical community and we felt the need to finally approach you."

Sakura tilted her head a little in obvious confusion.

"I don't understand."

"It has come to our attention that Dominik Voss approached you with a proposal and though the intention of his grandmother is questionable, we can't help but wonder why you turned him down."

"_Gomen_. But I don't understand what that has to do with anything?"

"I can sense that you haven't neglected your magical training over the years," one of the men, Sakura wasn't sure which, pointed out, "and it certainly shows in your work."

Sakura was beyond confused at this point and so glanced at Eriol who only frowned and then at Yue and Kero, both who very discreetly shook their heads. Somehow he council woman caught the movement and frowned.

"I think it's a little crowded around her. Maybe we can go somewhere a little more private," the woman said and snapped her fingers.

Sakura knew that she only could have blinked and suddenly, she wasn't in her living room anymore, but in a brightly lit and elaborately decorated office. She was on one couch with the three council members on the other. She found herself a little more nervous without everyone around, the only consolation she had being that she was sure they had no malicious intent.

"Tell me Ms. Kinomoto."

"Sakura," Sakura corrected. "Just Sakura."

"Alright Sakura," the red head woman said. Sakura really wished she would tell her name. "Tell me exactly how you came about discovering your magic."

"Hoe?" Sakura asked.

"Do you need me to repeat?"

"No. I heard you," Sakura said not seeing the harm and giving out this bit of information. "I found the Clow Cards in the basement of my house. I sense the magic of the book and went to see what was going on. When I opened the book and called out WINDY's name, the cards scattered and Kero came out the book telling me I had to catch them."

"Kero? You mean Cerberus? Guardian of the seal?"

Sakura nodded her head.

"And you captured them all right, with some help from some friends?"

"Yes."

"And then there was the judge Yue… How was your first encounter with him?"

Sakura smiled a little at that. "He wanted me to fight him, but I didn't want to."

"But of course you did defeat him? How?"

"It wasn't so much defeated him as it was subduing him," Sakura replied. "I didn't really fight him, more so just stopped him from being able to fight me."

"In any case, it made you the Card Mistress and made you the heir to Clow Reed's legacy, correct?"

Sakura wished the woman would stop talking to her like she was five. Sakura knew perfectly well what happened (and judging by the way the woman was answering the questions, so did she), although she had a feeling Kero and Yue still refrained from telling her some things about the entire situation.

"Yes, even though I had to reincarnate them after that."

The woman nodded and for the first time Sakura became aware of the pad in the hands of the two men next to her. They were periodically writing things down and Sakura wondered if she was being interrogated or having a psychological evaluation.

"So other than that, what other magic have you encountered?"

Sakura shrugged. "The occasional attack from random magicians wanting my magic I guess."

"And have you had any formal training?"

"Formal?"

"Any formal magic instruction?"

Eriol's tests to help her reincarnate the cards came to mind, but Sakura had a feeling that's not what the woman wanted. And she doubted that stumbling through different books of magic books and practicing late at night with Yue and Kero counted either, even though she had come a long way through that.

"No."

"Then please tell us," the man on the woman's left said, "How is it that you've come so far in your magical training?"

Sakura paused and hoped she didn't look as confused as she felt. "I'm sorry?"

"You're a powerful sorceress," said the other man, "the most powerful sixteen year old we've come across. Most people say not even Clow himself was this powerful and he made you his heir."

"I guess," Sakura said not sure how to respond. "But I'm not that powerful."

"Don't be silly," the woman said curtly. "You support the magic of the former Clow Cards, and demand the loyalty and respect of two creations passed down from a previous master, not to mention completely sustains the existence of one with your own life source and magic. It's unheard of, especially for someone your age. It's a feat people not even three times your age with decades of magical train could essentially brag about Ms. Kinomoto."

Sakura didn't bother correcting the woman again, not that she cared.

"What does this mean?"

"We can't allow you to just be left to yourself with this kind of power, especially in light of the fact that Marie Voss got into contact with you and everyone knows what her greatest ambition is," one of the men said.

"Power over death," Sakura muttered.

"Exactly."

"But I don't want to help her. I told her no."

"Still, we have to take precautions," the woman said. "The kind of power you have, if it's possible, it's through you. You have no idea how much power you hold little girl. You've got all the forces of nature at your disposal in that deck of cards. It's a wonder you haven't gone insane with power yet, which is why this is only a warning."

"A warning?"

"Don't force us to intervene. We don't like to be cruel, but if the safety and exposure of our community is at stake, we'll do what we have to. That's why we're advising that you at least take into consideration some of the proposals you'll eventually be receiving. Attach yourself to a powerful family and stay there. At the very least, Marie will leave you alone. Understood."

Sakura looked down and gripped the hem of her skirt as she shook her head.

"I can't do that."

"What's the problem? It's simple. You protect yourself and you protect everyone else. It's not that hard. That Li boy, you used to go out with him. Rekindle the relationship, and I'm sure their family will welcome you with open arms."

"I'm sorry," Sakura said looking up and looking the woman boldly in the eye. "But I won't sell my happiness for anyone else's sake or out of fear."

"You obviously don't know the way the world works child. It's the trademark of someone as sheltered from our community as you have been Ms. Kinomoto. They test your every heart's desire. But if I may ask, who's this person you claim to be in love with?"

Sakura fought the blush that came to her cheeks.

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to. You're not just thinking about yourself, only someone thinking of someone else would be willing to risk danger and saying no to the magic council like you are."

Sakura couldn't help but feel tense as she sensed something much more scheming and manipulative under in the woman's tone. It wasn't that the woman seemed to have bad intentions, but Sakura didn't think they would be in her best interest.

"All you need to know is that the person makes me very happy and I wouldn't trade them for anyone else's sake or anything you think you can offer to convince me," she said as her thoughts began to drift to her moon guardian.

"Hm," the woman said and then added, "Well then. I suppose we have nothing more to discuss Ms. Kinomoto."

"_Hai_. It was nice meeting you…"

"Midha," the woman finally gave.

"Thank you," Sakura said bowing her head a little at the woman as she stood.

Midha only nodded her head in acknowledgement before snapping her fingers.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> I don't know where the hell Midha came from. She kind of got a mind of her own as she went. Anyway, not much to say. I'm exhausted and I have so much to do before tomorrow, including updating my lovely blog.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	7. Tomoyo's Manipulation

**AN: **So I'm not half sleep today, which means I could edit this properly. But it has been a long day and I am tired. So enjoy the chapter and thanks for the reviews. You all flatter me so! Continue to do so.

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Seven<br>Tomoyo's Manipulation  
><strong>

Again, in the blink of an eye, Sakura was somewhere else. She was back in her room this time though. She rubbed her head in frustration. Just when she thought there was nothing else for her to worry about when it came to magic, something else always came up. Sakura made her way out her room and back downstairs into the living room where everyone was waiting for her expectantly.

"You're back," Eriol said, irritation still clear.

Everyone turned to look at her as though making sure she was still there. She calmly went and sat down in the spot she had previously been on the couch while gesturing for both Yue and Cerberus to come sit with her. Both came and sat on either side of her.

"So what did they say?" Syaoran asked.

"I don't know if I read her right, but it sounded like she's afraid of me on some level," Sakura said. She had indeed picked up fear in the room mixed with tension and wariness.

"That's ridiculous," Tomoyo said softly. "You wouldn't hurt a fly. What's there to be afraid of?"

Sakura looked in her lap remembering some of Midha's words and then whispered, "Am I really that powerful?"

A hush fell over the room at her words, and Sakura didn't blame them. But she wanted to know. It was one thing for Eriol to tell her and for Cerberus or, occasionally, Yue to mention it offhandedly. They were her friends though. They were supposed to say those things. Midha on the other hand spoke about her power like it was something to be afraid of, a force to be reckoned with and dealt with in the most careful way possible so they wouldn't have to worry about her. It wasn't that Sakura didn't know she possessed a lot of power. She had come to terms with the power of the cards long ago, but didn't think of herself as much without them to help her. She couldn't be that powerful.

"Why do you ask?" Syaoran finally said.

"Midha kept talking like any moment I was going to get drunk with power and try to take over the world or something and kept urging me to attach myself to a powerful magical family as a precaution. So I just have to wonder, am I really as powerful as she says I am?"

Eriol exchanged a brief look with Kaho and then sighed.

"I was hoping they'd leave you alone, but it seems like since Marie has taken an interest in you it's a lost cause, and they're forced to intervene. But to answer your question, yes you are. When I said that you were more powerful than Clow was at this age and that you're powerful enough to do certain things, I'm not just saying it to encourage you. It's true."

"But don't you worry about the Magic Council Sakura," Meiling said. "They're just a bunch of controlling prudes who want everything to go their way. Don't let it bother you."

"It's hard not to," said Sakura. "Not when they want me to do something I'll never be able to."

Eriol hummed a little before saying, "It's not your fault Sakura. They feel threatened by one lone sorceress like you and since none of us are going to sit and watch you and make sure you fall in line with their ridiculous rules and guidelines and old traditions, they want you to do that so they can find someone who will."

Sakura sighed. With magic always came a whole new plethora of problems. As if being sixteen wasn't hard enough…

"It's late," she said looking out the window. "You all should go home so we can all get some rest."

"I'm all for that one," Rubi Moon said. "I wonder if the council has any sense of timing when they come to pay their visits."

"Never," Syaoran said knowingly though he along with Kaho didn't move to leave like everyone else did.

Eriol gave Kaho a questioning gaze.

"I'll catch up," she said to him. "I'd like to talk to Sakura for a moment. Are you staying as well?" Kaho asked Syaoran who only nodded his head in response.

When everyone else had filed out the room leaving only Sakura, Yue, and Cerberus, Kaho and Syaoran exchanged a glance. Kaho spoke first.

"Sakura, I know all of this is difficult for you as it is, but I want you to be careful," Kaho said gently. "We'd be what you call eccentrics in the magical community and to be quite honest, anyone involved with Clow or you for that matter would be, given your very unorthodox magical training and way of thinking. Other people won't be as accepting of you as we are, and they'll no doubt try to take advantage of your purity of heart and kindness."

Syaoran nodded and then added, "And whatever you do, it would be best, at least for the time being that you keep your relationship with Yue a secret. Don't mention it to anyone else who doesn't already know magical or not. For all the advancement of the magical community and ability to keep up with the times, they still have certain prejudices. Me and Meiling wouldn't even dare mention it to our family. You didn't tell Midha, did you?"

Sakura shook her head. "She asked and I wouldn't tell her, that was after she all but said I should marry into a powerful magical family."

"And what did you say?"

"I said I wasn't going to sell my happiness because she was afraid or for anyone else's sake, and that she would just have to trust me on the matter," Sakura replied.

Yue made a sound that sounded like he really wanted to laugh while Cerberus snickered.

"It's not funny," Syaoran said seriously glaring at the two. "The council doesn't take kindly to people blatantly telling them no. While their intent may be good most of the time, they can be downright vindictive. Don't let them make your life harder than it has to be Sakura. Just let them think you're doing exactly what they want, and they'll leave you alone."

Sakura nodded, but in her heart, she knew that was going to be difficult. When she first started pining over Yue, when she was just a little over fifteen, she had known there might be some people who didn't approve, namely because even not counting centuries spent in a book, he was still a lot older and experienced than she was. Not that she had cared. Those things shaped him into the person she fell in love with. But she hadn't expected all of this, and though she'd never regret it, and she'd fight the magic council if she had to (she hoped she wouldn't have to), it wasn't her own well-being she was concerned about. It was Yue she was worried about. He had a way of dealing with things that bothered him and that was to close himself up and hope it worked itself out.

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Syaoran said to her as he left. "Take care of yourself Sakura."

Kaho gave her tired smile as a greeting before following Syaoran out.

Sakura sighed as she slumped onto the couch against Yue.

"Why me…?" she muttered sighing before glancing at the clock. It was a little over one in the morning and it was probably a good idea to go to bed. However, her brain was too active, and she wasn't tired. She stood up and summoned her staff.

"You're kidding," Cerberus said incredulously. "You want to practice magic this late?"

"It's not exactly practicing," Sakura said grinning. "More like studying?"

"For what?"

Sakura only grinned as she pulled a card out her pocket.

"Does this have anything to do with creating a new card?" Yue asked.

Sakura nodded.

"You're kidding right?" Cerberus asked and when Sakura didn't object he added, "You're really serious?"

"I don't see the problem. I figure you and Yue might know something about how Clow did it to help me," Sakura replied. "What's the harm in trying?"

"Nothing I guess," Cerberus said as he imagined the mishaps Sakura was going to cause in this new endeavor. He grinned at the thought. Those had been some good times with Clow. He too had a little trouble before he finally got the hang of creating the cards. "So what did you have in mind?"

Sakura grinned. "You'll like this one Kero. I was thinking something like SWEET except she'll make dinner and other cuisines."

"A FOOD card?" Cerberus asked.

"Weren't you just the skeptic about all this?" Yue asked.

Cerberus ignored Yue and continued to wait for Sakura to respond who had been busy snickering at the sun guardian's sudden enthusiasm.

"Well I guess so," Sakura began. "But I don't really like that name. I was thinking COOK or CHEF… maybe even something less obvious."

"Well then what are we waiting for, let's get to it!" Cerberus said excitedly.

"If I can even pull it off," Sakura said sweatdropping at Cerberus' enthusiasm.

* * *

><p>"Oh man," Sakura said yawning. "What time is it?"<p>

She reached over to grab her phone from where she had dropped it before she had fallen asleep on the floor the previous night or at least, she had been on the floor anyway. Sakura looked around. She was still in the living room, on the floor but propped up in Yue's arms. Yue himself was leaning against the couch with his head tilted back against it, and Kero had made himself comfortable in his disguised form in Sakura's own lap.

Sakura smiled a little and decided to forget looking for or phone or being concerned about the time as she leaned back into Yue's hold and closed her eyes, intending to go back to sleep.

"_KAWAII!_"

Sakura stretched out fully with her magical senses and looked in the direction the sound had come from to see Tomoyo standing in the doorway with her camera looking as though her birthday and her favorite holiday had come early on the same day.

"Tomoyo," Sakura said trying to figure out how to move out of Yue's arms without waking him. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was trying to call you but you wouldn't answer your phone. So I decided to come by the house and walked in on this cute little scene! I'll call this masterpiece, _The Card Mistress and her Guardians_," Tomoyo said continuing to tape the moment.

"You never give up, do you Tomoyo?"

The dark haired girl shook her head.

"So, did you need something?" Sakura asked deciding to just stay where she was.

"I-." Tomoyo looked at Sakura. "Why are you still wearing that?"

Sakura looked down at the purple and gold dress, having discarded the robes that went to it long ago.

"I guess I fell asleep while trying to figure out how to create a new card," she said.

"Create a card?" Tomoyo asked.

"Yeah. It's a long term project though. I haven't gotten anywhere with it yet."

Tomoyo grinned. "Will you let me design the card for you?"

Sakura blinked. "Design?"

"You know, plan out how it'll look."

Sakura blinked. "I don't know if we get to decide…"

Tomoyo shrugged. "Then I know exactly what card you can create first. We could call it the SEW card. All my beautiful works coming together in the blink of an eye!"

Sakura laughed nervously as she said, "That actually sounds rather ridiculous to me…"

"No more than BIG or SMALL or even MOVE for that matter… Then again, maybe it's the name. I know. We can call it GLAMOUR!"

"I have to figure out how to do it first, so don't go making plans yet for something that might not even happen."

"Well of course it will," Tomoyo assured. "You can anything you decide to Sakura. You always do."

Sakura blushed, and then Tomoyo smiled knowingly.

"Speaking of plans, you forgot didn't you?"

"Forgot what?" Sakura asked.

"That new farmers' market opened up, and we planned to go with everyone and shop, eat, seeing people from all over cook, that kind of stuff. We're supposed to be meeting them at one."

"One… What time is it now?" Sakura asked

Tomoyo shrugged. "Twelve I guess."

Sakura reached over for her phone, accidently waking Yue and Kero up as she looked at the time glaring at her in big digital numerals.

"Twelve fifteen!" Sakura said standing to her feet. "Oh man! Why am I always late for everything?"

"That's generally what happens when someone stays up all night playing with magic," Kero said sleepily.

"But you two were supposed to remind me."

"We did," Yue said looking at her as though bored.

Sakura groaned as she grabbed her discarded robe and headed up the stairs. "Yue it's not funny! Stupid council and late night visits. If it weren't for them this wouldn't have happened and…."

Her muttering faded as she continued upstairs and went to her room to get ready. Tomoyo only smiled a little before turning to Yue who had picked himself off the floor and was running a hand through his bangs to fix them.

"Are you coming too?" she asked softly.

Yue stopped what he was doing to regard her with an indifferent expression like he always did when dealing with her.

"No," he said simply.

"Why not?" Tomoyo pressed, but Yue apparently didn't feel the need to answer her. She almost sighed. Even though Yue had changed a lot since he and Sakura had gotten together, and he was at least more approachable and a little less cold, his aloofness was one thing that hadn't changed. If he didn't feel the need to get involved or respond, he didn't.

"Yue's like an overgrown cat, Tomoyo," Kero said honestly ignoring the glare Yue shot his way. "Him and crowds like the ones at farmers' markets don't mix. It makes him edgy and nervous. He's better off not going."

Tomoyo looked at Yue, a sweet smile on her face.

"But, I'm sure Sakura would enjoy it more if you were there," she said.

Yue looked as indifferent as ever but his eyes did dart Tomoyo's way at the mention of Sakura's name. Tomoyo cheered inwardly but kept on smiling innocently at Yue as she continued.

"Sure she's not going to force you to come, but I think it would be good for her if you went. With everything going on, I bet she'd like it if she could at least pretend that she didn't have to deal with proposals from magic families, a crazy woman who wants to control death, and a magic council who thinks she should marry into a powerful magical family just because they're scared of her power. She could be, if only for a little while, just a normal girl spending some time with friends and showing off her devilishly handsome, older boyfriend, _né_?"

Yue furrowed his eyebrows, and Tomoyo had to keep herself from grinning like a maniac at her genius. Yue could still say no, but to say no when Tomoyo put it like that would make it seem a selfish response, with no consideration of what Sakura wanted, even if she herself wasn't going to press it or even care about it really. Sakura was just the type who was happy when other people were happy even if she wanted something else.

Finally Yue frowned, narrowing his eyes in agitation at Tomoyo as he said, "Why do I get the feeling you're trying to manipulate me?"

The side of Tomoyo's lips twitched as she tried not to break out into a grin.

"Is it working?" she asked.

Yue sighed softly.

"Unfortunately…"

"Good," Tomoyo said clapping her hands. "Finally that false form of yours which no one has ever seen will get some good use, and I can get more footage of you and Sakura."

Yue glared at the girl. If looks could kill…

"On second thought…"

"Nope. You can't back out now. Besides, how selfish of you would that be?" Tomoyo asked.

Yue suddenly remembered why he disliked Tomoyo sometimes. She was manipulative and sly and didn't know when to quit. People like her could occasionally talk him into doing things he didn't want to if they knew the right button to push, and apparently, Tomoyo knew exactly which one.

Damn, he thought to himself as he resigned himself to his fate

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> I think one of the issues that people tend to skip over when writing CCS fanfiction that I really think opens up doors to many stories and plots is that in the manga, nor the anime, I don't think Sakura ever quite came to terms with how powerful she really was. She considers the cards, Yue, and Kero her friends, and sure Eriol says at the end of the manga that now Sakura is truly the most powerful sorceress and even that she can control her ability to see into the future where Clow couldn't (which implies she has the ability to do it just as easily as Clow could), but I don't think it really sank in, and how much can a twelve year old really comprehend when it comes to that? I mean, she has all the forces of nature in those cards, and that is just the 19 in the manga. We don't even have to talk about the anime version.

Anyway it was a little subplot that wasn't a part of my original vision for this story but kind of wrote itself in as I was writing, a subplot I'm glad I incorporated. Anywho, have a happy thanksgiving break whether you celebrate the day or not. I'm just relieved to have a break from school.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	8. Attack from the Underworld

**AN: **This was just one of those chapters I wasn't sure about. For what reason? I don't know. Maybe it was the ending. But I think you all will like this one. In fact, I know you all will like this one. Any comments I have will be at the end. So…

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eight<br>Attack from the Underworld**

"Okay," Sakura said running back down into the living room thirty minutes after she had left it. "I'm… ready…"

Sakura tried to say something, anything in fact, but she hadn't been prepared to face what she did when she got there and so she simply stared with a mixture of shock, awe, and admiration at Yue in his false form. He looked so… so… well, normal by non-magical standards (It was kind of strange to Sakura at this point). Well, normal except for his silvery white tresses which fell a little past his waist in a low ponytail. Yue had too much pride in his hair to let it go any shorter than that, even in his false form, Sakura mused.

"Are you ready Sakura?" Tomoyo asked, camera in hand.

"I… Yeah," Sakura said still a little surprised and then blushing when she realized she was staring. "Yue… Um. You're going too…?"

"Your friend can be very convincing sometimes," he said glaring at the smiling dark haired girl.

Sakura was silent for only a moment before she grinned, and just as Tomoyo had correctly predicted, her entire face lit up, eyes shining in delight.

"Yay!" she said with childish glee and she went to his side. "It's about time you got out of the house during the day instead of sleeping all day."

"I don't sleep _all _day," Yue replied as Sakura started to lead him out the living room.

She giggled. "Well, most of the day and then you stay awake all night."

Yue said something to her in a low whisper that caused Sakura to squeak as they went out the door. Tomoyo sighed, and Kero made himself comfortable in her bag.

"I gotta hand it to you," he said. "You pulled off a miracle there."

"You just have to know the right thing to say," Tomoyo said. "Besides, did you see how happy Sakura was? Even if I won't able to record them today, that alone was worth it."

"But it certainly didn't stop you from recording that moment just now?" Kero asked.

"Of course not," Tomoyo replied putting her camera away for the day.

* * *

><p>"She's late for everything," Syaoran said walking back and forth. "She'd be late to her own funeral."<p>

"Don't exaggerate," Meiling said. "She can't be late for everything. Right?"

"It's a trait of all great sorcerers," Eriol replied. "They get so caught up in their magic they forget their life outside of it sometimes. Being late for everything is a result."

Syaoran sighed impatiently. "That has nothing to do with magic according to her brother. She's always had to fight that habit. She better hurry though. The lunch crowd is already coming through."

"Sorry we're late," Tomoyo said coming up to them through the crowd. "I had to go pick up Sakura. She was up all night practicing magic again."

"Figures."

"For the record, this is her first time practicing magic all summer," Kero replied poking his head out Tomoyo's bag.

"Where is Sakura?" Meiling asked.

"Here she comes," Kaho said softly.

Sure enough Sakura was coming through the thickening crowd and past some of the booths at the entrance, a certain bounce to her step and brightness about her that even for the normally cheerful teenager was different. Everyone looked in surprise as they realized the reason. Even Kaho looked a little taken aback.

"Hello everyone. Sorry we're late," Sakura said brightly and then noticing the looks on their faces said, "What's wrong?"

"That's what?" Nakuru said pointing at Yue. "You actually got him to step foot outside and use his false form, not to mention bring him to a crowded place like this? You've really worked a miracle on him Sakura. Tell me, what's your secret?"

Sakura looked at her blankly before responding. "Actually, it was Tomoyo. I was just as surprised as you are now initially."

Tomoyo smiled as all eyes turned to her. She only shrugged and suggested they get a move on since she wanted to get some things for the dinner she was making that evening and to go try out some of the different foods at the booths. Sakura was at a loss for where she wanted to go. She could do some shopping or go around tasting different foods or even go look at the different live seafood.

"Where do you want to go Yue?" Sakura asked.

"It doesn't matter," Yue said honestly. He didn't think he'd enjoy it either way.

"Don't be such a sour puss," Sakura said and then smiled. "You know I heard there's some really good food here. We should go taste."

"We?"

"I'm going to get you to taste food today if we have to be here all day," Sakura determined.

"It's going to be a long day then," Yue replied. "And you aren't exactly known for your patience."

"But I'm not exactly impatient either," Sakura said going to a random booth to watch a foreigner cook a dish from her native country.

"Wow. I wish I could cook like that," Sakura said as she watched with the small crowd that had gathered.

Yue didn't say anything, actually not too interested, but made an effort not to spoil her excitement. It was hard to do when the steadily increasing afternoon crowd was starting to make him edgy.

"Can I taste?" Sakura asked the man when he was done making his dish. He grabbed a small cup and gave her a sample with a fork.

Sakura took one bite and said, "This is good… But you wouldn't like it."

Yue looked at her questioningly. He didn't even know what he'd like, not that he cared to know. But he did wonder how she could figure it out. When he asked she smiled.

"Because I don't think you have a sweet tooth. This is a sweet dish."

Yue still didn't understand and sensing this, Sakura added, "I noticed you're not attracted to the smell of sweets. But you seem to like the smell of different spices. So I'm guessing you'd like food with a little spice to it."

"How'd you figure that out?"

"Just watching the different times you voluntarily come to the kitchen when no one asks you to," Sakura replied. "That and you like ginger tea."

This reminded Yue of the time she had explained to him and Kero how she could read his posture and tell his emotions despite his neutral expressions way before he was relaxed enough around her to not be so guarded. But that had been the start of her still developing empathetic senses. This was a little different.

"Since when did you become so observant?"

Sakura only grinned and winked playfully. "Only for you Yue. Someone has to look out for you."

Sakura turned to find another booth, and Yue followed. Sometimes he wondered just who was the guardian of the pair of them. She wandered away from the food to a jewelry tent as soon as a nice piece of jewelry caught her eye from afar. It turned out to be a set of gold bangles which she immediately tried on, moving her arm in different angles to see how much noise they might make.

"Too noisy," they both said at the same time.

Sakura took off the bangles and continued to look around stopping at the earrings. She picked up a gold one, inspected it and then frowned as she set it down.

"Don't you have enough earrings?" he asked reminding her of the many pair she had at home in the jewelry box on her vanity.

Sakura nodded, not catching his teasing tone as she inspected another earring.

"I know. It's not for me," she said comparing two silver earrings, one with intricate markings on it and another simpler one. With that said, Yue noticed the style she was looking at wasn't similar to the style that she usually wore.

"Then who's it for."

"You," she said choosing the plain silver one. "You need one for your false form."

Taking advantage of his momentary stupor at her declaration, Sakura stood on her tiptoes and put the piece of jewelry onto his ear before grabbing a mirror to show him.

"Do you like it?"

Yue didn't say anything and Sakura made a face, slowly reaching her hand up to take it off under the assumption that he didn't like it. But Yue reached up and took her hand just as she was about to grab it a soft expression on his face.

"You don't have to work so hard to please me," he said smiling a little at her.

Sakura blushed trying to take her hand back but finding Yue wouldn't let it go.

"I don't know how she did it, but I know Tomoyo somehow talked you into coming even though you hate places like this. So I might as well try and make it as enjoyable as possible because I really am glad you're here. Besides, I really did think the earring would look nice," Sakura added trying and failing to control the heat in her face.

The blush only worsened when Yue finally said, "You're with me. That makes the experience less distasteful. And I like the earring too."

For all her knowing exactly what to do and say to fluster Yue, on the flip side, he could do the same, though Sakura wasn't sure if he was trying or not when he did so most of the time. The smirk that came to his face as he let go of her hand said it all, but took none of the sincerity out the words. Sakura slowly made her way over to pay for the earring, hardly aware of doing so as she felt like she was practically floating.

* * *

><p>"I just love places like these!"<p>

Dominik sighed as he looked at his sister. At least one of them was enjoying themselves. He found it a waste of his time. His sister, Jasmine, was supposed to be observing the card mistress to find out her weakness, the one thing they could use against her that would drive her to helping them for the sake of it. But his sister was too distracted by all the foods and different tents to care. He looked to the side, sensing the girl near them. There she was in a jewelry tent talking to someone. She had reached up to grab something near his face before the person stopped by grasping her hand. He said something to her that caused the card mistress to flush. They exchanged a few more words before she pulled her hand away and turned to go pay for something.

"What are you looking at?" Jasmine asked following his gaze and then saying, "Oh. You found her."

"Who is that she's with?"

"You don't recognize him. It's Yue," Jasmine replied. "Always the dutiful guardian that one, even with Clow according to mother."

Dominik raised his eyebrow. Guardian? He looked like a lot more than just a guardian. There had been something very intimate and personal about the way they had interacted. When he voiced as much to his sister, she scoffed.

"Don't be silly. Why would a powerful sorceress like her ever waste her time with a creation so beneath her?"

"I know that, but it's what I saw."

Jasmine shrugged. "Well you know how that goes. Things like abuse of mastery over guardians and creations are the reason there's not supposed to be any romantic relations between masters and their created beings."

Dominik didn't know why, but even for the brief moment he met the card mistress, she didn't seem like the type his sister was describing. Or perhaps he had been wrong?

"Whatever you saw, it doesn't matter. We have work to do."

"I've been trying to tell you that all afternoon," Dominik pointed out.

"Whatever," Jasmine said to him. "Come on. Let's go. I have better things to do today."

* * *

><p>"Just one taste. I bet you'll like it," Sakura said as she tried to spoon feed Yue some curry rice but the guardian was being frustratingly stubborn about not trying it. Tea was one thing. Food was something else entirely.<p>

"No."

"Why not?" Sakura whined.

"I don't need it. Why bother?"

"Do you always need to do something for you to do it?" Sakura asked putting the spoon down and sighing as she looked up at him with all the innocence of her former ten-year-old self.

"Not always."

"Name something," Sakura challenged.

Yue cast her a sideways glance, amusement alight in his eyes and Sakura wondered if she was better off not knowing what he was thinking. When it came down to it, Yue had a wicked sense of humor, no matter how dry it was.

"On second thought," she started and then stopped as something struck her, something dark, cold, and foreboding. She sat up and looked around.

"What?" Yue asked her.

"I… You don't sense anything?" Sakura asked confused.

Yue paused scanning his surroundings, starting to shake his head until movements in the shadow caught his eye.

"Over there," Yue said just as Sakura's phone rang.

Sakura picked it up and started to say a greeting, but Syaoran didn't give her the chance.

"You need to get over here. Something weird's going on," he said.

"What?" Sakura said standing up.

"I think… I think it's some kind of creature from the underworld."

"Where?" Sakura squeaked.

"I'll explain it later but you should… Oh man," Syaoran suddenly exclaimed. "Meiling don't let it get away."

Judging from the screams Sakura heard from one part of the market, Syaoran's command had been in vain. Sakura hung up the phone and headed in the direction, Yue right behind her. Sakura didn't even need her magic to tell her where the disturbance was. It was in the area opposite of where everyone was going to try to avoid it.

Syaoran was already at the scene standing back to back with Meiling who looked around nervously in the now cleared area.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked.

Syaoran and Meiling looked her way and then the former yelled, "Watch out!"

Sakura blinked and then gasped as something demonic came out the ground in front of her. Instinctively, she called forward the shield card to protect her, causing the attack of the demon to rebound. It backed up, pausing in its quick movements as though accessing the situation giving everyone a good look at it.

"What is that thing?" Sakura asked taking in the sight of the beast. It was humanoid with long hair obscuring its face and shadowy bat shaped wings.

"It's from the underworld, a demon. Only powerful sorcerers can summon it," Syaoran said.

"Not to mention, there aren't many willing to trifle with that kind of magic," Yue added.

"Then who-."

The demon charged forth again and to everyone's shock, its magic shattered the power of SHIELD. Dumbfounded that it could have actually broken through, Sakura stared blankly trying to figure out exactly what she should do to stop the beast. Luckily, Yue seemed to be able to act through his shock and in the next second had let go of his disguise and taken to the sky with her.

"How?" Sakura asked but had no time to ponder as the demon glance up at them as though wondering if it was worth the trouble or not to follow them or to stay on the ground. It then looked back to where Syaoran and Meiling were.

"Hey," Sakura shouted trying to get its attention.

It ignored her and charged for Syaoran and Meiling who leapt out the way of its black claws.

"Take me back down," Sakura said to Yue who complied and set her down on her feet in front of the creature.

Sakura released her staff and first called the jump card before expertly leaping out the way when the best came in her and Yue's direction again. Taking the opportunity, Cerberus, who had flown over with Tomoyo on his back, let out fire at the demon causing it to become engulfed in flames and smoke.

"I hope I'm not too late," Cerberus said cheekily to them.

"You're a lifesaver Kero," Sakura said in relief as she looked to where the smoke was clearing.

When it did clear, the demon was gone.

"Is that it?" Tomoyo asked them cautiously.

"Watch out," Sakura said to Cerberus and Tomoyo.

Only half a second later the demon appeared in front to the right of them and slashed Cerberus' side and scratched the bottom of Tomoyo's leg. The force of the attack itself threw them into a nearby booth, the tent crashing on top of them.

"Tomoyo. Kero," Sakura yelled starting to make her way over to them but her way was blocked by the demon. "Stupid-."

"I'll distract it," Yue said lifting his hand, a blue crystal shard appearing above his palm. Not waiting for her to approve, he attacked the demon and led it to the skies.

Sakura ran over to where Tomoyo and Cerberus were pulling themselves up to their feet.

"_Daijobu_?"

Tomoyo nodded in affirmative despite wincing a little from the scratches in her leg. Cerberus also nodded, but having taken the brunt of the attack in protecting Tomoyo, Sakura knew he might be lying. That had to hurt more than he was telling her.

"Don't worry about us Sakura," Cerberus said looking to the sky where Yue was succeeding in making the demon angrier more than anything.

"But how do I destroy it? It broke through SHIELD," Sakura reminded.

"Really?" Eriol said appearing with Kaho as Rubi Moon and Spinel Sun took to the skies to help a struggling Yue.

"What's that mean?" Sakura asked detecting the tone in which Eriol had spoken. All Eriol did was eye the staff briefly before looking to the demon.

"Do you know anything else about the demon Sakura?" Kaho asked.

"Syaoran said it's from the underworld," Sakura replied.

"The underworld?" Cerberus said. "You have to find whatever's binding it to this plane."

"What?"

"When dealing with that kind of magic," Eriol began, "The person who summoned it has to give the demon an object to bind it to this world. Otherwise, the longest it will last is a few seconds. You have to figure out where it is."

Sakura nodded and went into the sky where Rubi moon was cursing her luck as she said, "Doesn't this thing just die!"

"Technically it's already dead," Spinel pointed out.

"Stop being so literal. You know what I mean," Rubi growled.

"Have you seen anything on it? An item?" Sakura asked.

"Item?" Spinel asked.

"Something binding it here. I have to destroy it to get rid of it," Sakura explained.

"In its mouth," Yue said calmly, too calm for Sakura's liking.

Picking up on his pain through her senses, she glanced at him and took in the way he was using his robes to hide part of his arm. Sensing his eyes on her, he gave a reassuring look and Sakura focused on the task at hand.

"It's mouth?" Sakura asked.

"Watch," Yue said attracting the demon's attention and hovering next to Sakura.

The demon charged at them and Sakura's first instinct was to fly out the way, but Yue said, "Just wait."

As it approached, the demon's hair moved out its face to reveal a grotesque looking face. Then it opened its mouth wide as though getting ready to devour them and Sakura saw a flash of red, like a ruby in the back of its mouth. Yue pulled them out the way at the last possible second, the demon letting out a beastly growl at missing its prey.

It turned back around to charge at them again, and before she could lose her nerve (because quite frankly, she was beginning to), Sakura held her staff and waited for the thing to open its mouth as it charged at her. As soon as it opened its mouth, Sakura called out, "SWORD," and made a quick jab into the beast mouth before it could try to stop its charge and get away.

The jewel in its mouth shattered and the demon let out and unearthly shriek before it dissipated into thin air. Sakura managed to catch a few shards of the jewel in her hand before they too turned into dust.

"It's gone?" Rubi asked just to be sure.

"Yes…"

"What?" Spinel asked Sakura who was staring at the palm of her hand where the jewel had been.

"So is that other presence. It felt familiar," Sakura replied as she gently touched down on the ground and let go of the magi of the FLY card. "I've known it from somewhere."

"Where?" Cerberus asked. "I didn't recognize anything."

Sakura was aware that all eyes were on her and she started to reply, but found she had none. She really didn't know where she recognized this presence. But she knew she had encountered it somewhere.

"Are you sure Sakura?" Eriol asked frowning.

"Yes," Sakura said sensing Eriol's apprehension. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Someone willing to use this kind of magic and mess with the creatures of the underworld is nothing to be taken lightly," Kaho warned. "This wasn't a random occurrence and someone trying to prove their worth against you. Whoever this is really means business and doesn't want to take any chances."

Sakura could have cried. As if she didn't have enough problems already.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Alright. Let's all say it together! One, two, three… _KAWAII!_ At least for the first half. Anywho, this was the chapter where everything took a completely different turn than the one I intended, not to mention got more complex. If I try to explain, I'll just spoil the story. So let me go. I'm sitting in bed editing and updating this when I should be in the bathroom getting ready for the day.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	9. Pre Wedding Crash

**AN: **It's five o'clock in the morning and I'm sitting here updating my story which means that I either have nothing better to do (which I do, like sleeping or studying for finals or updating my blog), or I simply want to get this out the way so I can do those things. Anywho, it's here.

I remember writing this and having no clue what to write and this idea came to me. If there are any inaccuracies, I plead my right to creative license! Lol. It's noting completely inaccurate just… Well, I'll explain it at the end.

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine<br>Pre-Wedding Crash**

Sakura sighed as she came in the house, going over the conversation she had with Eriol earlier that morning. As if she didn't have enough on her plate to deal with. Plopping herself on the couch she mused to herself that it was turning out to be one crappy summer, and she was only two weeks into it.

Kero and Yue exchanged a look as they watched her contemplate whatever Eriol had told her. Kero nodded to her and Yue shook his head. Whatever it was, she would tell it without them nagging her about it. Kero rolled his eyes. Just because Yue didn't like sharing when he was asked or pestered into it didn't mean Sakura was the same way. Then again, since the two of them had become a couple they had exchanged some of their more prominent personality traits with each other.

"Is your arm feeling better Yue?" Sakura asked absently when she saw him and Kero.

"It wasn't anything serious. Just a bad sprain. It's fine," Yue said still avoiding asking her directly what Eriol had told her.

"So what did he say?" Kero asked ignoring the look Yue gave him.

Sakura sighed "He kind of speculated the same thing we did; that it may just be the case that whoever summoned that demon be more powerful than I am right now, especially for that demon to be able to cancel out SHIELD's magic. Someone might have seen my potential and doesn't like it," she said not missing how ironic it was that just a few days ago they were telling her how abnormally powerful she was for her age.

"And?"

"To put it bluntly, Eriol thinks someone is trying to kill me," said Sakura. "But he said don't worry about it and just be on the lookout."

"It's hard not to be concerned in that kind of situation," Yue pointed out.

"But until we figure out who it was that attacked, Eriol's right. We can't worry since there's not much we can do until they strike again," Kero replied.

"_Hai_," Sakura agreed absently and looked down at her lap.

"What else did he say?" Yue asked.

Sakura looked up. "Huh?"

"You said he said that _may_ be the case. What else did he propose?"

Sakura bit her lip a little and looked back in her lap. "He said though someone being stronger than me right now was a possibility, that wasn't likely to be the real reason SHIELD broke," she said.

That was when they noticed Sakura was fiddling with something in her lap and the two guardians looked down to see it was the star key. Sakura held it out in her palm and summoned the staff, twirling it between her fingers before resting it over her shoulder.

"He said I've outgrown the staff."

"Outgrown it?" Kero said flying up to the staff. "You can outgrow it? How?"

Sakura was silent for a moment. She was still trying to understand what Eriol meant herself.

"_I've outgrown it?" Sakura asked._

"_And so soon too. It was supposed to last you much longer than this, but perhaps I underestimated how fast your powers would grow…"_

_Sakura blinked. This was one of those times where Eriol was talking more so as Clow than for Clow. Sometimes he acted like a proud father to her, like now, and other times he was just himself speaking for Clow and from the man's memories. This reincarnation business was tricky._

"_But it still works. I haven't had any problems with my magic."_

"_Of course not Sakura. The magic is inside you Sakura. The staff just helps you channel it, but if you want to reach the next step in your magical growth and potential, like you have to grow and change, so does the staff. This one can't handle your power. The council thinks you're powerful now. Just wait until they see what you can do with a new staff,"_

"_A new staff? But how do I do that? Clow gave me…"_

_Sakura trailed off at the cryptic smile that appeared on Eriol's face. She frowned. He wasn't going to tell her._

"He started talking like he was actually Clow and said it was supposed to last me much longer, but he may have underestimated how fast my magic would grow. He said that this staff can't handle my growing powers…" Sakura trailed off.

"What?" Yue asked noticing her confused expression.

"Then he said that if the council thinks I'm powerful now, to wait until they see how powerful I am with a new more powerful staff," Sakura said. "But the funny thing is he almost said it like he couldn't wait to see how they reacted, like it would be entertaining or something. Then when I asked him about how to get a new staff, he gave me that secret smile of his and ended the conversation."

Kero sighed.

"Just like Clow," he said.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"He had more than his fair share of entanglements with the Magic Council and to be quite honest, I think he enjoyed getting on their nerve," said Kero. "Odd fellow that one. He would find some way to make this entire situation funny."

"The Magic Council never appreciated his attitude about them though," Yue mused.

"Especially when he called them a bunch of uptight prudes who didn't have any sense of humor or appreciation for life," Cerberus said.

Sakura sweat dropped.

"So wait a minute. Is that a good or bad thing for me considering I'm technically his heir?" Sakura asked.

"You want an honest answer?" Kero asked.

Sakura tilted her head on the back of the sofa and sighed. This just kept getting better and better.

At that point Yue took something out his robes, a letter it appeared to be, and held it out to Sakura.

"What's this?" Sakura asked as she took it from him.

"It was in the mail. It had your name on it," Yue replied as Sakura opened the letter.

As soon as she laid eyes on the beautiful invitation, Sakura snapped her fingers and her face lit up in excitement. She squealed in delight as she read the invitation, much to the confusion and curiosity of her Yue and Kero.

"That's right," she finally said after reading the invite. "Rika's getting married to Mr. Terada… She told us about the wedding before we got out of school and gave us invitations. I would have forgotten with everything going on if it weren't for this."

"What's that?" Kero asked going behind Sakura to read over her shoulder.

Sakura handed it to him. "It's an invitation to her bridal shower sleep over the night before the wedding. Rika's been talking about it for weeks." Sakura giggled. "I can't wait."

Sakura put the invitation down and then went upstairs. She came back a minute later with another invitation, this time to the wedding.

"You're invited too Yue, to the wedding," Sakura said offhandedly. "Well, actually she said I could bring a date, but that's Rika;s way of saying bring you along."

Yue didn't answer, but the subtle twitch of the corner of his lip said enough. Sakura tried not to laugh as Kero snickered at the thought. She didn't push the issue though or even take the opportunity to tease him, only took out her phone to call Tomoyo about the affair in a week's time.

"Of course I remembered it," Tomoyo replied over the phone. "Rika requested that I make her kimono. Of course, it's not as fun as making clothing for you, but my mother says that since I'm so good at this kind of stuff, I may as well make a living from it. I have your kimono for the wedding too of course."

"I hope you toned it down. I don't want to outshine Rika. It's her wedding."

"Of course not Sakura," Tomoyo said and then sighed. "Of course, your dress will outshine any kimono ever made when you get married."

"Tomoyo…" Sakura said shaking her head at the girl's eccentrics.

"Okay, okay," Tomoyo replied. "But in any case, have you gone shopping for any gifts yet."

"That's kind of what I was calling you for," Sakura replied. "Have anything in mind."

"It won't be too hard. She'll be leaving home for good so I'm sure there's a lot of house items she needs, not that she isn't getting enough of that as it is. But we'll find her something," Tomoyo assured.

* * *

><p>"I'm so excited for you Rika," Chiharu said as she grabbed another cookie off the tray they had set up in the guest room of Rika's parents' house as her room was full of boxes she had packed to move out the house the next day, before the wedding.<p>

"Yeah, I always knew you would be the first of us to get married," Naoka replied. "You've always been so much more mature than all of us."

Rika giggled. "Stop it you all," she said blushing.

"_Kawaii_," Tomoyo said from where she was in the corner making the finishing touches on Rika's white embroidery wedding kimono with a silk red sash.

"It's no big deal," Rika said starting to take a cookie and then deciding against it.

"Of course it's a big deal," Sakura said. "You're getting married and that only happens once in a lifetime."

"Hopefully," Meiling said dryly. "Nowadays people are liable to split up after a month or two, not that you will Rika. I'm just saying…"

Rika giggled. "I get it Meiling."

"Don't make her more nervous than she already is," Sakura chided.

Rika looked at Sakura. "What makes you think I'm nervous?"

Sakura only laughed, now a tad nervous herself. Sometimes she forgot that not everyone knew about her empathy. But no matter how hard Rika was trying to hide it, she really was nervous, which Sakura guessed was understandable.

"Because," Sakura decided. "I'd be nervous too."

"I know," said Naoka. "Moving out your parent's house, not having them around, doing stuff for yourself…"

"As if some of us don't do that anyway," Meiling pointed out.

"Well, you and Syaoran have someone staying with you all," Chiharu replied.

"I'm not talking about us," Meiling said. "I meant Sakura."

Sakura blinked. "What?"

"Come on. Your dad's always teaching or on some work related trip and Toya moved out years ago. Most of the time it's just you and Yue," Meiling said purposely neglecting to mention Kero because the other girls didn't know he existed.

"Yue lives with you?" Naoka asked.

Sakura squeaked. Oh no…

"She didn't tell you guys. He's been staying with them for months now," Tomoyo informed.

Sakura reached for a pillow and hugged it to her. Not again. Last time something like this happened, they gave her twenty questions about her relationship with the moon guardian, albeit at the time, Yue and she weren't officially a couple. Still, it had been horrifying enough then. There had been a reason she didn't mention to anyone who didn't already know that Yue stayed with her, her dad, and Kero.

"And how often are you two alone in the house?" Chiharu asked grinning.

Never, Sakura thought to herself, but she couldn't tell them about Kero. So instead she blushed and didn't answer.

"Aww," they all said.

"And here you had us fooled with acting all innocent and clueless," Rika teased gently.

"Why are we talking about me? Your wedding's tomorrow Rika. This is about you."

"Yes, but teasing you is making me feel better. Besides, you're the one who's so secretive about her boyfriend. I'll bet anything we'll be talking about your wedding next," Rika replied.

Sakura moved the pillow up to cover half of her face.

Meiling rolled her eyes. "Please. Her brother probably won't even let her think the word marriage until she at least finishes school if at all."

"HOOEE! You all are so mean!" Sakura said putting the pillow all the way over her face and falling backwards.

All the other girls laughed at her at her expense.

* * *

><p>"Look at her," Jasmine said observing the girls through the window. "All that talent, and she spends her time at sleepovers and weddings."<p>

Dominik didn't say anything, only tilted his head in mild curiosity as he said, "You know this is the first time I've seen her when that guardian wasn't around."

Jasmine snorted. "You're still on about that? Really Dominik. Good thing mother didn't leave this up to you. To think that she could even remotely care about that guardian more than as a protector."

Dominik didn't think it was too much of a stretch. So far, from what he had seen, the card mistress was a much different sorceress than any he had ever met. She had a sincerity about her for one that many didn't possess and usually that kind of sincerity and naivety was the mark of weakness, except he heard even the Magic Council was concerned about this one. Weakness or not, the more he thought about it and the more he watched her, the more he was convinced that her guardian meant more to her than either publically let on. But his sister wouldn't listen.

"Then how do you suggest we get to her?" he asked.

"The demon worked brilliantly. Did you see how determined she was to stop it from hurting anyone and getting away not only for her friends but for strangers she didn't even know? Why don't we see what she'll do when it's just her friends in danger and the risk of ruining a party too," Jasmine said.

"You'd raise hell if you knew someone sabotaged your wedding."

"But this isn't my wedding," Jasmine said and took off an old ribbon. "This might be a little harder for her to find…"

Jasmine tossed a purple kimono sash up into the air, her eyes turning black as she summoned a beast from the underworld, a harpy that took the shape of a woman a few seconds after it was summoned. She then tied the sash around the woman's waist where an array of shiny trinkets were attached to a belt.

"Be a good girl for me," Jasmine said, the black in her eyes fading.

The harpy nodded and disappeared, and Jasmine settled down on her spot underneath the tree to enjoy the show.

* * *

><p>Sakura really had to stop staying up late. It was one o'clock when all the girls decided that Rika had a long day coming up and that she should get some rest so they all needed to go to bed. But in Sakura's book, one o'clock was calling it early considering she could stay up well into the early morning hours if she truly wanted to do so.<p>

So instead of sleeping like everyone else was, Sakura made her way out the room and into another, onto a small balcony that looked out into the garden in Rika's backyard. She glanced at the sky, a full moon shining down on her. Figures, she thought to herself, that the moon would be out to make her think about the one thing she had been trying not to think about. She sighed as her mind trailed back to the conversation she had with the girls earlier. They teased her relentlessly, telling her that at the rate her relationship with Yue was going, it would only be a matter of time before she herself was walking down the aisle. It had been a joke, but it brought up an issue Sakura hadn't thought about since she had been with Syaoran.

Marrying Yue would be nice, but was that something he wanted? The thought had never occurred to her. She had just been so happy that he returned her feelings to begin with that thinking about a future like that hadn't crossed her mind. They were together. That was enough for her no matter what anyone else thought of it. And even if he didn't mind, with the Magic Council scrutinizing her like they were, having the proof of their relationship on any record might not be a good idea anyway, at least not until they fully understood what the council wanted from her. Not to mention that with the Magic Council trying to pressure her into a marriage anyhow, Sakura had been turned off to the idea, at least any time soon. Still, it might be something to casually bring up with Yue. She couldn't even begin to fathom how he would begin to respond though…

Sakura lost her train of thought as she looked down into Rika's yard. Then she looked closer to make sure she wasn't just seeing things. Was that a woman in the yard?

It was and she was staring at Sakura, eerily calm wearing a casual kimono with a purple sash and shiny trinkets on a belt hanging below the sash on her hip. She also wore charms on her arms and around her neck. Sakura froze. She looked like a ghost…

Sakura slowly started to back into the house, but noticing her try to leave, the woman suddenly leapt up and landed in front of her. Sakura tensed under the woman's unwavering gaze, hair flowing in the wind.

"Sakura, what's going on here…" Meiling trailed off seeing the woman. "Who is that?"

Sakura started to answer until her senses spiked.

She moved out the way just as the woman charged at her. Meiling did the same, albeit much more graceful that Sakura. A sharp slashing sound caught their attention though and the two girls gasped at the five claw marks in the wall. The woman looked at them, her expression unchanged although she looked like she was turning a little red. The woman then shrugged and went into the hallway.

"Where's she going?" Sakura asked getting up to follow the woman behind Meiling.

"Sakura. Rika and everyone!" Meiling shouted.

Sure enough, that's where the woman was heading. Sakura called three cards to her hand and yelled, "SLEEP, SHIELD, LOCK!"

Sakura didn't have to yell her intention out loud, the three cards wentand worked their magic on the guest room where the other girls were sleeping. When the woman got to the door and attempted to claw it opened, she found herself barred from the room because of SHIELD and LOCK's magic.

The woman turned redder and then let out a loud cawing noise, something that sounded like there were a dozen crows in the house. Then wings sprouted from her back and connected to the top of her arms, her finger nails became claws, her hair wild and untamed, her feet become the curved clawed talons of a bird, and her mouth and nose elongated into a sharp beak. Sakura and Meiling stared stunned.

"What in the world…?" Sakura muttered.

"Uh-oh," Meiling said quietly. "That's…"

"What?" Sakura asked.

"A harpy," she said. "They have really bad tempers and when they transform, it means their angry."

"Why tonight?" Sakura whined and then screamed as the thing charged at the two.

Meiling pulled her out the way, but barely. The harpy was fast and managed to graze Meiling in her side. She winced as she closed the door to the room they were in shut to give them a little time.

"I'm okay," Meiling said standing back up. "But you've got to defeat that thing, and it's going to be hard. Harpies are fast, really fast."

"It feels just like that demon we fought at the farmer's market, like it's from the underworld again," Sakura said.

"Are you sure?"

Sakura nodded.

"Then that means we just have to find the item tying her to our world, but…" Meiling trailed off but Sakura knew what she was thinking. That harpy had all kinds of trinkets on her. There was no telling which was the one tying her here and the harpy gave them no time to further discuss because she tore the door down and entered the room with a loud caw looking more furious than ever.

Sakura cried out as she and Meiling ducked out the way in different directions.

The harpy's claw caught the side of Sakura's tank and seeing how close it was, she summoned her staff and called on another card.

"DASH," she yelled and then 'dashed' over to grab Meiling out the way of the harpy and out the room down the hall.

But instead of following them, the harpy crashed through a wall in front of them causing both Sakura and Meiling to scream and run in the opposite direction to the window at the end of the hall.

"What now?" Meiling asked. "I can't even fight that!"

Sakura turned to face the harpy that was gearing up for another charge. Sakura looked amongst the trinkets and charms on the beast trying to figure out which one was the item binding her to their world, but there were too many to choose from. She'd be deciding all night.

"I don't know which charm it is," said Sakura.

Meiling looked back at the window and at the harpy who positioned herself to charge at them.

"No time," Meiling said pulling Sakura flat against the ground just as the harpy dashed at them.

Unable to stop her charge, the harpy shattered the glass as she fell out the open window to the ground below. Sakura and Meiling got up and cautiously looked out the window to where the harpy lay in the shattered glass struggling to get to her feet despite the now bleeding cuts in her wings and talons.

"It's hurt," Meiling pointed out. "Good. This is your chance to find which one of those trinkets is…"

"It's trying to get away," Sakura said watched at the harpy ran around the corner, significantly slower that she had been before. Summoning fly, Sakura flew out the window to where the harpy had disappeared, only to find her gone.

"So?"

"She's gone," Sakura said slowly. It couldn't have gotten away that quickly with the way it was injured.

"No way. How?" Meiling asked as Sakura flew back in through the window.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know, but it's gone…" Sakura trailed off as she surveyed the mess the harpy had made up the upper floor. "It's a mess."

"How are you…?

Sakura sighed and held up a hand signaling for Meiling to wait as she went downstairs and to retrieve a book out the large purse she had left at the door. Luckily, she had brought this book with her or else she'd be in trouble and risk having to get Yue and Cerberus to bring it over. She flipped through it as she came back up, and Meiling met her halfway to see what it was.

"There are a lot of practical spells in here. Eriol says it used to be for a time when women were expected to use their magic to keep up their households only, of course, by the time Clow died that wasn't the case but the spell to clean up messes and fix stuff instantly is in here. Turns out it's the same one Yue uses all the time. He just knows it so well, he can use it without the incantation," Sakura replied.

"What did you have it for?" Meiling asked. "I thought you didn't like using too much magic for everyday stuff like that?"

"I don't," Sakura said dryly. "But I was thinking since Rika's getting married, there would be something in here I could do as a wedding gift that wouldn't suggest it was done by magic. Lucky I brought it with me. I won't have that thing ruin Rika's wedding day."

"But it got away," Meiling said leaving the statement open but Sakura got the meaning. It was going to come back.

"I know… I guess I'll have to pull double duty tomorrow," Sakura said sighing.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> I was really stumped in what direction I was taking this story when I wrote this because I so didn't want to go the Sailor Moon style thing and have Sakura just happen to be in some place where something attacked. That's why I really honed it in to people that were close to her. Then I had to figure out what to write about and lo and behold I'm going through a story that reminds me of this particular subplot that was in the manga (more so than the anime anyway) and I so I ran with it… The shower and the wedding were supposed to be all in one chapter, but then I realized it would be too many words (8k to be exact) and split it. So If I get the right motivation, I may put it up Wednesday, since this is technically a two-parter, kind of anyway…

But regardless, I have a blog to update after a whole week of messed up updating on it because I was on break and my schedule was chaotic.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	10. Wedding Crasher

**AN: **I was looking up Japanese wedding customs to the very end, but thankfully the wedding isn't the important part of this chapter. It's just the setting. Anyway I plead my right again to creative license and if anything seems vague, it had purposefully been left up to the imagination of the reader. So there!

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Ten<br>Wedding Crasher**

"Yue, Kero," Tomoyo sang as she poked her head in Yue's room the next morning.

Yue was instantly wary. There was something about the way Tomoyo said his name that had him on edge. There was also this mischievous glint in her eyes as she held two garment bags. He raised an eyebrow at her in question and Tomoyo only smiled back at him.

"Where's Sakura?" Kero asked.

Tomoyo sighed. "Poor thing… Turns out there was another attack last night and after she chased it off, she stayed up to repair everything the harpy broke or messed up. She did it with magic of course, but now she's exhausted, especially because she's worried it'll attack at the wedding and needs to be prepared for it. But don't worry. She's fine," Tomoyo added seeing Yue and Kero begin to try to rush past her to the room.

"Speaking of that though, she needs to talk to you two about it," Tomoyo said, that look that made Yue wary reappearing.

Yue and Kero went to the room to find Sakura sprawled out on the bed with her eyes closed, appearing to be sleep. However, as soon as they walked in the room, she began to talk.

"Did Tomoyo tell you about the harpy demon from last night?" Sakura asked and without waiting for a response she continued, "It got away, and I have a feeling it's going to attack Rika's wedding so I need you two to stay close. It's supposed to start at three, but since Tomoyo's got to be there to make sure all the dresses fit right and the hair styles don't get in the way, we're leaving early, around twelve."

Sakura then opened her eyes and turned to look directly at Yue, whose resigned attitude she detected through the way he had now crossed his arms.

"Have you ever been to a wedding before Yue?" she asked smiling lightly.

"No," he said simply as Kero seemed to catch on and began to snicker uncontrollably.

"Well it should be a good experience for you," Sakura continued as she exchanged a look with Tomoyo and then looked back at Yue. "I'm really sorry about this but…"

Tomoyo squealed as she started to jump up and down, unable to contain her excitement anymore.

"I get to fit you into one of my designs and you can't say-"

"No," Yue said firmly.

Sakura sat up and stared at Yue, wincing at the annoyed look he shot at her for even wanting to allow Tomoyo to use him as her 'doll.'

"Yue, I wouldn't have told her any other time. But it would be easier for you to just attend the wedding with me, and if that's the case, you need something to wear and Tomoyo's been working on stuff for you for months so…" Sakura trailed off as Yue fixed her and Tomoyo with his signature annoyed glare.

Then he said something to in a dry tone in another language, English it sounded like, and walked past her to his room Sakura guessed. Sakura half expected to hear the door slam, but when it didn't, Sakura took it as a sign that despite his annoyance with the idea, he'd let Tomoyo work her magic.

"That was English right?" Sakura asked Tomoyo who knew more of the language than she did.

"No… I think it was German," Tomoyo said staring after where Yue had gone.

"German?" Sakura said as she looked at Kero was now openly laughing. "Yue knows German?"

"German, English, Chinese… I think he knows quite a bit of Latin too," Kero supplied still laughing.

"What did he say then? Did you understand it?" Tomoyo asked.

"Something about Sakura's odd choice in a best friend. I didn't catch it all," Kero said shrugging.

* * *

><p>"I hope you didn't overdo it with my Kimono," Sakura said later as Tomoyo ushered her in the direction of a room to get dressed for the wedding.<p>

"Of course not Sakura. Today is all about Rika. I did have a hard time toning it down though. So many designs I could have used…" Tomoyo trailed off a little but then continued, "Don't worry. It's just a simple elegant kimono, not to mention you and Yue have matching designs. So I had to tone it down to match his robes. You've grown up Sakura and for these occasions you need to look elegant and classy, especially with an older boyfriend. We'll save frills and elaborate designs for special occasions," Tomoyo decided.

Sakura didn't believe it for a minute. Tomoyo would always find a way to make Sakura's kimono's unique in some form or fashion no matter how 'elegant' and 'classy.'

"Hurry up. The wedding starts in two hours, and you have to make sure that harpy doesn't ruin everything if she comes back. While you do that, I'll have to finish helping the bride, so I won't be able to record your brave endeavors," Tomoyo said sighing.

Sakura shook her head. She would think Tomoyo would have grown out of those tendencies, but even now, she still hadn't.

"You really need a boyfriend or something," Sakura muttered as Tomoyo put her in one the dressing rooms of the venue where the kimono in question was hanging. It was a simple pale blue kimono, just like Tomoyo had assured her, with a beige sash.

"I have to do your hair first though. Thank goodness Rika's still getting her hair done. Otherwise I'd have no time to help you Sakura," Tomoyo said as she grabbed sheer bag hanging on the door with chopsticks in it so that Tomoyo could pin up her hair.

Doing her hair was a new hobby of Tomoyo's and for that purpose alone, she had requested that Sakura grow her hair out, just a little. Sakura didn't necessarily want her hair long though, so for the sake of compromising, she grew it out so that the back brushed the top of her shoulders giving Tomoyo a just enough to play around with and put in elegant buns and French twist depending on the occasion.

"There," Tomoyo said inserting the two chopsticks. "Now hurry up and get dressed so you can go on the lookout for that harpy."

Sakura raised her eyebrow at the eagerness of her friend as she went to put the kimono on. Tomoyo took the sash and helped her tie it into a neat bow in the back before passing her the shoes that went with it. Tomoyo laughed when she was done and took out her camera to record and snap a few still pictures.

"So how does it look?" Sakura asked her.

"Sakura looks so grown up and elegant," Tomoyo said sighing. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a queen."

"Really Tomoyo," Sakura said blushing as the other girl backed up opening the door behind her. "Come on. Yue should be ready by now."

Sakura followed her out the room and, spotting Yue behind Tomoyo, who was too consumed admiring her, started to warn her but did so too late. Tomoyo backed right into the moon guardian, who patiently raised an eyebrow as her when she turned around to apologize but stopped when she saw him in the robes she had crafted for him.

"You look perfect," Tomoyo gushed and then pushed Sakura next to him as she recorded the two. She groaned. "Smile a little Yue!"

Sakura laughed. Yue wasn't frowning, but he didn't look necessarily pleased either. He was looking neutral as always.

"It won't kill you," Sakura said trying to help the situation.

Yue blinked and turned to look at her for the first time since she came out the room as though just really noticing her, which he probably had as he'd been so intent on being stubborn with Tomoyo. He couldn't help it then and smiled just a tad..

"That's better," Tomoyo said snapping a few pictures of the two before checking the time and gasping. "Uh-oh. I have to go help Rika. I'll see you two later."

When she left Sakura grinned as she turned to Yue and said, "Go ahead and admit it. You like it don't you?" She fingered the fabric of the outfit as she asked before adding, "And to think you threw a tantrum because you didn't want to."

"I did not throw a tantrum," Yue insisted.

"Sure you didn't," Sakura said mischief alight in her eyes.

"It's comfortable I guess," was all Yue would admit to before he said, "You look nice."

Any other girl would have been offended at him saying it was 'just' nice, but the fact that Yue thought it looked nice enough to say anything at all was saying enough as it was. So Sakura blushed at the comment and muttered a 'thanks' before noticing someone was missing.

"Where's Kero?"

"On the lookout for that harpy," Yue replied.

Sakura sighed. "But it won't make any difference if I can't send it back where it came from. It has so many charms and trinkets that I can't figure out-."

Sakura stopped talking just as they came down the stairs of the venue, staring near the entrance where guests were starting to arrive for the event that was to start in the next hour or so. Yue followed her eyes to where she was staring at a woman wearing a rather plain but still formal kimono with her black hair in an elegant bun.

"What?" Yue asked not seeing why she was staring so hard.

"That's her. That's the harpy," Sakura said pointing at the woman.

Yue raised an eyebrow, but knew not to be fooled. Harpies were nothing to worry about until they started to get angry. Otherwise, they could take on the guise of female all day.

"I thought you said this was invitation only."

"It is…" Sakura said also wondering how the woman got in. "But she's not doing anything now, so maybe we should just go sit down."

"Do you think it's wise to leave her be?" Yue asked

"Well, she only really wrecks havoc when she's angry, so as long as she's calm we should be fine."

"Harpies are known for their short fuses," Yue reminded as the two walked into the main venue area. One of the ushers gave her the program and then led the two to their seats.

Seeing that Yue was getting more tense the more people came in, Sakura grabbed his hand and then said, "I hope that Tomoyo was exaggerating when she said that no wedding ever starts on time, that something always makes it start late."

"Can I ask you something?" Yue began.

Sakura nodded.

"What's the point of all this?" Yue asked. "A wedding I mean."

Sakura blinked, a bit taken aback by the question. But as she thought about it, it made sense. For all his knowledge of things and wisdom in many areas, certain customs that were just the norm to Sakura, Yue couldn't quite grasp the meaning of. Of course he understood the concept. But knowing Yue, it probably seemed a little pointless.

"Well, for two people to get married," Sakura began not quite sure how to explain it.

Yue threw her a dry look. "I know that, but why all the show? Why all the elaborate dresses, and flowers, and celebrations for one day?"

Sakura smiled. "It's one day of the rest of their lives. Why not celebrate?"

Yue raised an eyebrow, still not grasping the idea, and Sakura took it as a signal to elaborate.

"Well think about it. Not everyone is lucky enough to find someone they truly love and care about and even then, they might not be brave enough to make the commitment. I mean being in a relationship is difficult enough. So when two people do, it's a big deal and cause for celebration because it means they love each other enough to make a commitment to try to be together for the rest of their lives despite the difficulty involved," Sakura explained hoping he understood.

"Then why all the people?"

Sakura grinned. "So everyone else can know it of course," Sakura said winking playfully knowing Yue still probably didn't see the point of it all.

Yue was silent for a long time, looking ahead with a contemplative expression, arms crossed. When he didn't say anything further, Sakura turned her attentions back forward.

"Would you want to get married?"

Yue's straightforwardness would be something Sakura would never completely get used to. Of course, she knew what he meant, but Sakura still glanced at him just to make sure. He was wearing his usual neutral expression, almost looking with entire display.

"What?" she managed.

"Would you want to get married?" he asked again, still not looking at her.

Sakura turned back around and smiled. "It would be nice, but the way I see it, you're stuck with me anyway whether you want to be or not."

Yue sighed, but Sakura sensed his teasing mood.

"Yes… For the next few centuries I suppose," he said. "It's a long time, but I guess I'll have to live with it."

Sakura giggled, a blush creeping to her cheeks.

Yue briefly left the room and came back with Kero in the folds of his robes as they waited for the event to begin.

"So where is the harpy?" Kero asked poking his head out of Yue's robe to try and see the woman Sakura had identified before.

Sakura nodded her head a little in the direction and Kero looked that way. He stared at her.

"I have to say, I wouldn't have known if you hadn't pointed her out. But everyone will know soon enough. She's bound to lose her temper," Kero muttered.

"No," Sakura muttered. "She can't ruin Rika's wedding."

"Somehow I don't think that's her motive, but doing so would get her closer to whatever her motive is," Kero replied. "We have to make sure we keep an eye on her. No telling when she's going to strike."

* * *

><p>"I'm so happy for you," Sakura gushed as she held Rika's hands after the wedding when she greeted her outside.<p>

Rika laughed, practically glowing with happiness as her friends manage to corner and surround her after the wedding.

"Thank you," Rika said. "Thank you for coming and I'm glad you all are happy, but we have to go take pictures."

Seeming to realize they were holding her up, the girls moved out the way so that she could go to take pictures.

"I'll see you at the reception right?" Rika said and all the girls nodded. Then she added directly to Sakura, "And I want to meet Yue Sakura. Officially this time as your boyfriend."

Sakura blushed, remembering the last time all her friends had met her guardian and nodded her consent. She then turned to go find Yue, Syaoran, and Kero, but stopped, suddenly having the urge to look among the guest.

"What's wrong Sakura?" Meiling asked.

Sakura didn't answer as she scanned the crowd.

"Where did she go?" Sakura muttered. "Where is she?"

"Sakura?"

"That harpy! She's gone," Sakura explained grabbing Meiling's hand and pulling her to where the others were. She nearly tripped over her kimono in the process and grabbed the skirt to pull it away from her feet.

"Are you okay Sakura?" Syaoran asked.

"Have you all seen that harpy anywhere?" Sakura asked.

"She was just-" Yue cut himself as he glance to his right and not seeing the harpy there scanned the crowd.

"She's gone?" Syaoran asked.

"Is that a bad thing?" Meiling asked.

"Yes," Kero said floating out of Yue's robes. "Harpies have miserable tempers and it only takes a little prompting. We've got to find her."

Sakura nodded as the group split off in different directions to find the woman, but on a hunch, Sakura went to where Rika had been going to get her pictures taken in the garden behind the venue. Sure enough, there was the harpy, spying on the wedding party as they took pictures. Her hand was up, her nails looking more like sharp claws than nails. Suddenly she got up and started to sprint forward to the wedding party.

If it weren't for the fact that she had planned what she would do ahead of time, Sakura wouldn't have thought to use WINDY to restrain the harpy, at least temporarily before she launched.

Not at all liking that she was being restrained, the woman let out a cawing noise and turned red as she began to struggle with WINDY. Sakura had a feeling WINDY wouldn't be able to restrain her for long and so summoned her staff this time.

"TIME!" she yelled and suddenly everything and everyone not magical went still.

It was just in time too, for as soon as time was completely stopped, the harpy made her transformation and broke out of WINDY's grasp. She cawed loudly again and looked at Sakura with murderous intent.

"Uh-oh," Sakura muttered as she realized it probably wasn't a good idea to try to restrain her before. She should have used TIME first. Then again she had been expecting time to stop the harpy too. She looked at her staff, Eriol's words coming back to her. She was stronger than this and whoever it was doing these things, she just knew it.

The harpy cawing again and making it's charge made Sakura realize that she needed to get out the way.

"FLY," she yelled and flew into the air just as the harpy charged. If it was possible, the harpy looked even angrier since Sakura thought she could escape in the air, so it decided to follow Sakura into the air

Sakura tried to fly away, but the harpy was even faster in the air than it was on the ground and easily caught up with her raking her claws right in the area where her wings joined with her back.

Sakura cried out in pain as the wings disappeared from her back, and she began to fall to the ground. She was snatched out the sky before she could even get close to the ground though. She winced as the arm of the person that caught her agitated the three gashes on her back. She was repositioned so it wasn't agitated.

"Are you alright?" Yue asked taking note of the gashes, but paying more attention at where the harpy was, a crystal shard hovering above his palm as he readied himself to attack it.

"Yeah," Sakura said trying to ignore the dull throb in her back as she looked to where Cerberus was facing the harpy.

"Don't fight her in the air," Sakura yelled to him. "She's too fast up here."

Cerberus nodded, and they all landed on the ground where Syaoran was with his sword. Yue set Sakura one her feet and she visibly wobbled a little as she tried to steady herself. Syaoran gave her a reproachful glare.

"Why did you use time? That's dangerous, even for you."

"I use TIME a lot more often than you think Syaoran. It's fine," she said.

"True enough," Cerberus said but added, "However you usually aren't injured and in the midst of battle while using other magic when you do."

Sakura grabbed Yue's arm to steady herself as she replied, "I had to. If I didn't, the harpy would have taken time from Rika's wedding and her time to celebrate it. I don't want her to ruin that. I'll be fine. I'll just sleep all day tomorrow."

With that she readied herself with her staff pointed in the harpy's direction ignoring the exasperated and worried looks she was getting between the three.

"SWORD," she called and the staff transformed to suit her needs.

Apparently Sakura pulling a weapon out on the harpy just made the beast angrier at her and without warning the Harpy charged at her. Yue pulled her to the side, not quite sure what Sakura was trying to do. But as he did so, Sakura swung at the harpy's upper arm, cutting off two of the charms that hung there.

"What are you doing?" Cerberus yelled. "You completely missed her."

"I'm not trying to get her. One of those charms has to be grounding her here. I have to figure out which one."

"No!" Syaoran yelled from where he was before having to duck out the way for when Yue again pulled Sakura away, the harpy, unable to abruptly stop her charge, ended up coming his way.

"No?" Yue asked raising his eyebrow at the other boy.

"I think you're taking the wrong approach," he said as he summoned the wind to temporarily discombobulate that harpy since it was now angry at him for moving out the way of her attack.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked trying not to trip over the skirts of her kimono as she and Yue landed again. It was definitely not made with fighting in mind, and she was seriously beginning to consider taking up Tomoyo's idea of a card that sewed outfits and such in the future…

"Harpies like to collect shiny things like charms. The item grounding her here wouldn't be something the harpy has collected on her own. It would be less obvious than that," Syaoran yelled.

"But besides the charms, what else…?" Sakura's eyes landed on the kimono sash. "That's it!"

"Now you only have to get her to stop moving so fast," Yue pointed out.

Sakura nodded and reverted her staff back before taking out the WATERY.

"WATERY! Drench the harpy in water so that her movements are slowed down!"

WATERY came forth and rushed at the harpy. The harpy, still trying to gain its bearing and perhaps figure out who to attack next, was taken by surprise as WATERY thoroughly drenched her. It made the harpy angrier, and she shook out her wings to prepare herself to attack Sakura, but as intended, the water certainly weighed her down.

"DASH, SWORD!" Sakura yelled and faced the harpy with the sword in front of her.

The harpy charged at her, significantly slower than before and when the harpy was just in reach, she slashed at the sash while simultaneously using the power of DASH to move out the way of her claws. As the sash fell in two pieces to the ground, the harpy almost instantly became too unstable to remain grounded to the living world and was sent back where she came from.

Sakura let out a deep breath and felt to her knees on the ground, instantly letting go of the hold she had on the magic of the cards she had used, ignoring Cerberus yelp, "Hey wait!" as he hurried to return to his disguised form.

Time resumed and thankfully, Sakura had decided to collapse behind a large rock in the garden where the wedding party behind them wouldn't see them. Yue inspected her back while Syaoran and Kero rushed over to her.

"Unfortunately I never quite grasped the art of using magic to heal, so we'll need to leave to tend to this," Yue said sighing a little.

Sakura shook her head as she stood up. "No. It's okay. It's even stopped bleeding now. We can just clean it up, patch it, and fix the tears in the kimono."

"Are you sure Sakura?" Syaoran asked with the pieces of the sash in his hands. "You'll probably need to go get some stitches."

Kero gave him a pointed look as he said, "Don't be stupid kid. How is she going to explain how she got gashes in her back?"

Syaoran glared at him. "I meant we could take her to my house stuffed animal."

Sakura laughed despite herself. "You guys!"

* * *

><p>Dominik crossed his arms impatiently, caught between watching the card mistress and glaring at his sister who pbecause the girl had figured out how to defeat her undead monster.<p>

Finally he said, "This was a complete and utter waste of time. What did we gain from doing this?"

"Quite a bit," Jasmine replied seriously, not acting silly and airy like she usually did for once. "She went out of her way to make sure she didn't ruin her friend's so-called happiness, even as far as pushing herself to her limits. Card or not, it takes a lot of power to stop time and then continue to fight. It just shows how weak that heart truly is."

Dominik would never admit that he had been kind of impressed that the card mistress had been willing to go to such lengths, even at the cost of her own safety, for someone else. It was such a selfless act, unlike his grandmother who even when it appeared like she was being selfless, always had an ulterior selfish motive. Yes. He'd definitely keep that opinion to himself.

"So now what?"

"Now it's just a matter of testing just who it is that makes the card mistress take any means necessary, and we can use it to our advantage," Jasmine replied.

Dominik couldn't help glancing at the guardian. He had taken it upon himself to go look up Japanese customs and how girls related and interacted with their male companions since she at least treated the guardian like a friend. He had to admit, he may have been looking too deep into it, especially when he found out that some terms and actions that meant something serious in western culture wasn't as serious in Japan. The term lover didn't indicate sexual relations here and boyfriend/girlfriend could be a term used loosely between friends depending on the context. And because they were so big on respect and honor, gestures that implied a person might be interested in an actual relationship in western culture was just being polite.

But even as he tried to look at it through the guise of Japanese culture, there was something oddly intimate about the way the card mistress interacted with her guardian, and it annoyed him that his sister didn't notice it. Perhaps it was because he had met her before. Either way, his sister didn't think much of it, and he didn't feel the need to inform his grandmother about it. So, while his sister planned how she would find that one person who would, for all intents and purposes, send the card mistress over the deep end, he would continue to discreetly observe the pair.

* * *

><p>"You know, I suspect it's rude to fall asleep at a wedding reception," Yue said to Sakura as she again tilted over to lean on his shoulder and doze off.<p>

She instantly sat up straight looking ahead.

Meiling sighed. "Really Sakura. You should have just gone home. Rika would have understood if you told her you were sick."

"I really do look awful, don't I?" Sakura asked with a small smile. It wasn't that they hadn't been able to repair her kimono or get the dirt from the battle off of it, or even redo the bun in her hair. However, exhaustion was practically written on Sakura's face and as a result, she had dozed off quite a few times during the reception, hardly touching her food.

"Yes," Tomoyo agreed. "Even Rika asked me if you were alright earlier. She's very concerned about you."

Sakura dismissed them as she looked ahead and saw many of the women and teenage girls gather in the free space at the front of the room right before the table for the wedding party.

"What are they doing?"

"Oh," Tomoyo said grinning. "Some western wedding tradition where the bride throws her bouquet to all the unmarried women at the reception. Whoever catches it is supposed to be the next to get married."

"Oh," Sakura said laughing a little. "I think I'll sit this one out."

Meiling and Tomoyo shrugged as they went to join.

"Suit yourself."

Sakura leaned her head back on Yue's arm and closed her arms, vaguely aware of Kero whispering from under the table for Yue to pass him more food. Just as she started to doze off though she felt something land in her lap. She touched the item and then feeling the velvety blossoms opened her eyes to see Rika's bouquet sitting in her lap. She blinked once as all the women turned their attention to her, some of them whining about their luck at not having caught it and the girl who hadn't even been trying to get it managing to catch it (or rather have it fall in her lap) instead.

She picked it up out her lap to stare at it blankly not sure what to say or do with it, but Tomoyo squealed before she could decide.

"How sweet? It's destiny, _né_ Sakura?" she teased. "I'll get started on your wedding dress right away."

Sakura glanced at Yue who looked remarkably unimpressed and back at the bouquet, a blush alighting her cheeks as she said, "HOE!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> I tell you this was one of the easiest yet hardest chapters to write because I had to keep Japanese culture in mind and I think people forget that when writing anime fanfiction is that the setting is usually somewhere in Japan and therefore, the culture does apply and though greatly influenced by western culture, still much different. This chapter was a nice blend of that and I enjoyed writing it.

So now that this is updated, I have to throw a blog post together.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	11. Musing

**AN: **This was so fun to write, especially the first scene. I won't say why, only that it was easy to write.

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Eleven<br>Musings**

The house was quiet, Fujitaka noticed when he came out his office and that either meant that his daughter wasn't awake yet or she had left the house. He glanced at the time. It was past one and though his daughter liked to sleep late during the summer, she didn't typically sleep that late. He assumed she had left the house, but checked her room just to be sure and to his surprise found her still in bed with the pillow over her head. Fujitaka frowned. That was certainly out of the ordinary. And he was quite sure she hadn't practiced any magic the night before for he remembered hearing her come in the house and promptly falling out on the couch. He guessed Yue had eventually moved her to her room at some point, but the point was that her friend's wedding couldn't have been _that_ tiring.

He made his way downstairs to search for Yue and Kero when he didn't find them in the former's room. He first checked the living room, then the kitchen, and finally found the two outside in the backyard. Kero was in his true form sleeping in a sunny spot near the tree and Yue was sitting under the tree reading a book. Fujitaka almost found the sight strange. Rarely was it that the brothers were in the same place and at peace with each other. Usually, they were getting on each other's nerve.

"Yue," Fujitaka said and the barely perceptible tilt of the young man's head was the only indication that he was listening. "Is there a reason Sakura's so tired?"

Yue lowered his book but didn't look at Fujitaka quite yet, only seemed to be trying to figure out how to answer.

"She found herself having to use quite a bit of powerful magic yesterday so that her friend's wedding wouldn't be ruined," Yue said carefully.

"But she doesn't usually sleep like this."

"She's just tired from using so much magic. She should have left early, but Sakura insisted on staying for the duration of the reception. Needless to say, she hardly had the strength to change out of her kimono."

Fujitaka frowned, and seeming to realize _what _he said and _who_ he said it to, Yue hastily added, "MIRROR enjoys aiding our mistress during those times so I implored her to help Sakura change. You can relax."

Yue had obviously dismissed the issue as he went back to reading his book, but Fujitaka couldn't help adding with a smile, "I know. But you'll understand when you have a daughter."

Yue looked up at Fujitaka for the first time, obviously taken aback by the statement. However, the moon guardian didn't comment and simply continued to read his book after a few seconds, albeit with a distinct and thoughtful frown on his face.

Fujitake went back into the house, his thoughts now straying to Yue. Even after months of having the man stay with them, Fujitaka still couldn't comprehend the moon guardian's personality. He was polite and respectful enough, but the few times they had talked Yue was so formal and distant. Aloof certainly described it. It was like Yue was perfectly aware of what was going on around him but in a whole other world. It showed by the way he would never truly look at someone who was talking to him, though he'd usually reply, at least to Fujitaka. Kero had mentioned to him that Yue was nicer to Fujitaka than he was to most people, and that probably had something to do with the fact that he was Sakura's father.

Speaking of Sakura, he didn't quite understand at first what it was about the moon guardian that attracted her to him and if he were honest, he still didn't fully know. The two were as different as night and day on first glance. Sakura was bubbly, happy, and a social being, while Yue was cold, quiet, and could only tolerated so much of being social. But during the time he had secretly watched them (How else was he supposed to understand their relationship when neither was very open about it to him?), he observed the way Yue relaxed around her, how casual he was with her, how he was much more playful and open with her. And though Yue did his best to hide it, he too had a certain innocence to him when it came to the way certain things went in the world. Things that seemed simple or rather didn't need explaining to a normal human sometimes seemed a bit beyond the other man's ability to grasp without elaboration. On the flip side, Yue seemed more wary and aware of the dangers in the world, where Sakura could miss them in her natural inclination to trust the good of others. So Fujitaka guessed in that respect, they complimented each other.

He couldn't help frowning though. It wasn't that he disapproved, but he wasn't sure he approved either despite the fact that he didn't mention his insecurities about it to Sakura. She was part of a world she was never fully outright with him about so he probably didn't fully understand, but any decent father would be concerned. No matter how reasonable he was, Fujitaka couldn't ignore a few things about Yue. First, he was much older than Sakura. He once managed to con Kero into telling him that Yue was at least two centuries old and that was not counting the time they spent in Clow's card book (that was a whole different issue). Second was that Fujitaka had a feeling Sakura wasn't exactly being forthright about Yue's relationship with his previous master. It wasn't anything they had said directly, but some of the comparisons and contrasts Kero would make between the two that gave it away.

So, having decided that he had held his tongue on these matters long enough, Fujitaka started to make his way back upstairs to have a serious conversation with his daughter… until the doorbell rang.

He answered the door to find Sakura's two friends, Syaoran and Meiling at the door panting.

"Honestly," Meiling was saying. "What's the point of having a phone if she isn't going to answer the damn thing?"

"Sakura's resting right now," Fujitaka replied. "Yue informed me that she had a long day yesterday. Maybe you should-."

"With all due respect sir," said another voice in a foreign accent. "This is important."

Fujitaka looked past the two to see Eriol standing calmly by himself, without his usual companions. Fujitaka sighed. It appeared his talk with Sakura would have to wait until later. He briefly wondered if any other fathers in the world had sorceresses for daughters and had to deal with these kinds of situations.

* * *

><p>Sakura sighed as she sat in the living room, rightfully annoyed that her sleep had been interrupted but also because how Yue had been forced to awaken her when she refused the first few times. He so owed her for this later…<p>

"This had better be good," she muttered trying to fully awaken herself.

"It is," Syaoran said. "Remember that sash you cut off the harpy yesterday?"

Sakura nodded. How could she forget?

"I took it home to look at it and when I finally did, look what I found," Syaoran said handing her a certain corner of the sash,

Sakura took it from him, and if she hadn't been fully awake before, she was when she saw the circle with a cross and an ankh crisscrossed in it. She almost dropped the sash in surprise, remembering the same crest being on the necklace, bottle of perfume, and ring from before.

"What?" she said not quite comprehending what it could mean.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised. I told you Marie doesn't give up that easily," Cerberus pointed out.

"But I don't understand. What's she got to gain from attacking me like this?" Sakura asked.

"She's trying to get to your attention," Eriol said to her. "She probably didn't like how you blatantly dismissed her offers and the Voss Family is certainly known for their expertise in bringing creatures from the underworld. It makes sense."

"Well," Sakura said setting her hand in her lap. "She's got my attention, now what?"

"Choose the lesser of two evils," Eriol said. "Either you can go directly to Marie and talk to her or ask the Magic Council to help you mediate the rift."

Sakura grimaced. Neither prospect sounded inviting. After only encountering the magic council once, she was pretty sure she wasn't held high on their list of favorite sorceresses, and if she were honest, she wasn't too fond of them either. But Marie… She had seemed pleasant enough to talk to, but there was something about her. Sakura shuddered. Marie's cold emotionless void was something she'd never adjust to.

"Do I have to?" Sakura asked.

"She's just going to attack again if you try to ignore her," Meiling pointed out. "If the point was for her to get your attention, you may as well let her know that she has it."

Sakura sighed tiredly and started to ask exactly how she was supposed to get in contact with Marie until she sensed something, another presence suddenly appear in the house. She blinked as she looked toward the doorway where Midha was standing. Quite surprised to see the magic council member, Sakura blinked, and then said as politely as she could, "Next time, can you just use the door?"

Midha, who already appeared to be looking at her with unwavering disapproval, only frowned.

"Seems a little troublesome when I can just come right in," she said taking a seat without waiting for one to be offered to her.

"Maybe," Sakura said. "But it is my house and if a person can't get any privacy there, where can they?"

Midha made an indignant sound but appeared to make note of the request before briskly waving her hand in dismissal and getting to the point.

"Just checking in, I suppose," Midha said answering the unasked question of why she was there to begin with. "It's come to my attention that you've been using a lot more magic lately. In fact, yesterday, you stopped time for a good while."

"I… Wait a minute. How do you know that?"

"You didn't think we'd just leave you be on your own again?" Midha asked like a mother talking to her young child. "Besides, you're certainly a unique case Miss Kinomoto…"

"You've been watching her?" Eriol asked bluntly.

"Limitedly."

"Either you are or you aren't," Syaoran pointed out to which Midha ignored him as she looked at Sakura.

"Speaking of that, you were attacked? Is that common?"

Sakura sighed. "Not like this." Sakura handed Midha the sash with the Voss crest on it.

The woman inspected it, looking neither concerned nor dismissive.

"You think Marie Voss is attacking you?" Midha didn't wait for an answer as she suddenly said, "Can I talk to you privately?"

Sakura nodded and before Midha could possibly use her magic to take them somewhere, Sakura gestured for them to go outside instead. As they went over to stand next to it, Midha commented on the garden.

"You garden is beautiful," she said touching a flower blooming among them.

"Thank you," Sakura said as she watched Midha begin to touch on certain leaves and fruits delicately.

"You know you wouldn't have this problem if you would take the council's advice. It's in the best interest of everyone. Including yourself."

"Maybe," Sakura replied. "But then I'd have an entire new set of problems."

"So you find the idea intimidating? Is that why you won't consider it?"

There was something about Midha's tone that put Sakura on edge. It was as though she already knew the answer, but was trying to indicate that she was aware of something else.

"In a way I suppose," Sakura said slowly. "But I don't even know why Marie is doing this, so why be hasty about it?"

"If it is Marie," Midha said as though she agreed, but Sakura detected a certain slyness to it. She sounded something like a politician. "She has family spread all over western Europe who don't feel they should answer to her. Who's to say?"

"I didn't really consider that… I assumed it was just…"

"Of course you did, because that's not what's stopping you from acting is it?" Midha asked, turning from the garden and looking at Sakura with a stern expression, like she was reprimanding her own daughter.

Sakura was silent as she tried to discern the woman's intention and meaning. But she didn't have to for Midha made her meaning clear with her next comment.

"You seem to have a very close relationship with your moon guardian."

Sakura tried to school her features into an indifferent expression, because she certainly didn't want to look as dumbfounded and shocked as she felt. How…?

"What makes you…? Why…? How?" she finally asked, cursing the fact that she was a terrible liar.

"It's because you're so careful trying to hide it," Midha said to her. "A glance and a smile here, a touch there, secret exchanges and you seem to have a certain affinity for the moon. It's so subtle, it's obvious."

Sakura thought she was done until the woman added, "Then again, I'm an Egyptian, and so I might just be looking at it from that lens. Who's to say that in Japanese culture that's not perfectly normal for a relationship between people as close as a master and guardian living under the same roof?"

Sakura felt herself starting to lose her temper at the condescending and sly way Midha was approaching this. Why not just be honest and say what she thought instead of dancing around the issue? Sakura might as well admit to it at this point. Then it occurred to her that maybe that's what Midha wanted, to rile Sakura up into admitting it herself. Sakura smiled a little. It was a game Yue liked to play with her when she was trying to hide something. He didn't have to know a thing, but he would make a few assumptions, talk like he knew everything and then coax a person into telling him what he really hadn't known to begin with. But what Midha described could be explained off…

"I'm guessing you don't know about the laws hm?" Midha asked.

Laws, Sakura questioned to herself. Maybe she should just play this whole situation safe…

"I was wondering, could you maybe get in contact with Marie. I'd like to enjoy my summer instead of worrying about future attacks," Sakura said obviously changing the subject.

Midha smiled in amusement. "I'll see what I can do," she said and faded away right before Sakura's eyes.

Sakura knew there would be no going back to bed as she went back into the house. This was all just too perfect. She sensed the tension, everyone practically on edge. She started to just tell them outright, but was it really something to be concerned about? Was it really that important? She glanced at Yue who was patiently waiting with his arms crossed and eyes closed for her to say something. She almost frowned. If she told them that Midha suspected a relationship between the two, she was positive Yue, ever the cautious one ,would go back to being his reclusive self, rarely showing himself with her out and about or either only at night when there was no one to see. Maybe… Sakura frowned. Not yet, not until she understood this better.

"So? What did she say?" Kero asked losing what little patience he had to begin with.

"She asked about the attacks," Sakura finally said. "Then she said I could avoid all this if I just took the council's advice. When I told her no and asked her if she could get in touch with Marie, she said she'd see what she could do, but there was something about the way she said it, almost like she was planning something. I don't quite know what to make of the council. Are they good or what?"

"As manipulative as they are Sakura, what you have to understand is that their primary job is to protect the magical community, and although not everyone has magic, it's far more vast than what you know. There are the powerful magical families and then there are individuals, places where magic just happens to pop up. They aren't worried about that, but the problem with you is that you're a single sorceress, who a powerful sorcerer from two powerful magical families made his heir. See the problem?" Eriol asked.

"They see me as a threat to their order?" Sakura said uncertainly.

"Exactly," Syaoran affirmed. "So their job is to eliminate the threat you could pose, the immediate one being that you expose the magical world, and if they ever found out about your relationship with Yue, the second being that you disrupt the social order."

Sakura almost rolled her eyes. "That again…"

"It's not just some prejudiced rule Sakura," Meiling said softly.

Sakura looked at Meiling who until now hadn't said a word.

"_Nani_?"

"Because a guardian is duty bound to obey the commands of a master, there have been countless cases of abuse of authority in the master's end. It was put in place for the protection of the guardian, not because of some prejudiced way of thinking… That's an entirely different story and exactly the category you could drop someone like the Voss family in," Eriol said dryly rolling his eyes.

Sakura open and closed her mouth, not quite sure what to say. "But I… I'm not…"

"Of course you're not," Yue finally spoke sensing that she needed his reassurance. "But you're a unique case. Not all sorceresses and sorcerers have as pure and kind of heart as you."

"Yeah…" Kero said dryly. "Even Clow for all his kindness had his flaws in that regard…"

Sakura didn't miss the look Yue shot Kero in warning. Then she glanced at Eriol, who flinched just slightly at the implication. There that issue came up again. Was she ever going to know the totality of it?

"The point is that while at this point they may be in opposition to you, it's nothing personal. It's their job and because they're so impersonal is what makes them a delicate group to deal with," Syaoran explained.

Now that Sakura knew all that, it put everything into perspective, but it certainly didn't make her life any easier.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> Fujitaka's musing was enjoyable to write. It thought it would be an interesting interaction. So I have to go. I really need to be studying for finals and trying not to cuss out one of my teachers for the ridiculous expectations she has for an in-class essay test… Okay.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	12. Vacation Part I

**AN: **A teenage Sakura is so fun to write. I was a bit timid at first because I wanted her to stay the person she was, but a teenage version and a bit less innocent. So I decided she can still be innocent (in the way that she's trusting, friendly, willing to give the benefit of a doubt etc.) and still a sometimes hormonal teenager. You'll see what I mean.

Read, enjoy, and review!

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><p><strong>Chapter Twelve<br>Vacation Part I**

"Not today Sakura…"

"But you promised!"

"The summer isn't over yet."

"But it's already started."

"What's the point? It's not like you're actually going to need to drive anywhere anytime soon. And it's not like you can't just fly anywhere else or use DASH to make a quick sprint," Toya pointed out.

"Toya…" Sakura whined and then proceeded to try to hit him.

Yue and Kero watched the two from the kitchen table. They had been arguing all morning, ever since Sakura began to beg her brother to let her drive. Toya was, again, procrastinating the matter, and Sakura wasn't having it.

Yue turned to Kero and asked, "Is it really that important?"

Kero only shook his head. "I don't understand it either Yue. It's almost some kind of rite of passage with teenagers in this century, a sign of independence I guess…"

Yue raised his eyebrow. "As if she hasn't had enough independence since discovering magic…"

"For once I agree with you. But to Sakura, it's a big deal," Kero sighed as Toya said no one final time and left the house.

Sakura plopped down in a chair crossed her arms and pouted, very similar to the manner of a six year old that couldn't get his or her way. Yue and Kero stared at her for a moment.

"Just go ahead and laugh. I don't care," Sakura said throwing her hands in the air before letting them fall back down next to her.

Kero snickered and Yue tried to mask the chuckle that escaped him at the sight of her. Sakura only scowled and said, "Well since I don't have anything to do…"

The Sakura Book appeared directly in front of her, and she drew a random card from the deck to inspect.

"I was thinking… the cards are like spirits or personalities of whatever they represent in card form right?"

"I suppose so," Yue replied.

"Then essentially Clow somehow captured the essence or spirit of whatever he intended and powered it with his magic."

"What?" Kero asked confused.

"I'm saying that essentially if I wanted to remake the water card, I'd just need to capture the essence in a way, like a water spirit or something and give it power with my magic… Did that make sense?" Sakura asked.

Neither Yue or Kero replied to her question but Yue did ask, "Where did you come up with that idea?"

"Just some reading. Clow essentially just captured a spirit and spirits usually represent something, a force of nature, a particular idea, or talent. I just thought it was the same principle with the cards," Sakura replied.

"You've really been thinking this out," Kero said impressed. "How long before you think you'll be willing to give it a shot?"

"I need to learn how to summon a spirit or capture essences first, that's not counting figuring out how to bind them them, not to mention how I'd give it form. Then there's the issue with my staff…" Sakura sighed. It seemed like such a daunting process, and Clow did it fifty-two times! All she wanted was one card. "I'm not in a rush though. I probably won't get to it this summer… Maybe during winter break I'll be willing to-."

Sakura's eyes shot toward the kitchen door. No one was there but…

"Would it kill you sorcerers and sorceresses to use the door?" Sakura asked, obviously annoyed at whoever it was.

In came Marie Voss with an amused smile on her face. Instantly Yue and Kero, now in his true form, tensed and went on guard. This woman's family had attacked them twice already.

Sakura, however, almost looked bored as she stared at the woman. It was a look both her guardians rarely saw on her. It meant she was very annoyed, and they didn't blame her. Between the magic council and the Voss family, Sakura just wanted to be left alone, and she was still having those nightmares.

"Sorry I couldn't drop by sooner, but when Midha told me what you suspected… well. Suffice to say I was extremely perturbed about it," Marie said shaking her head as Sakura silently gestured for her to sit down.

"Why?" Cerberus asked. "Because we caught you?"

Marie didn't look at all offended, but her eyes did harden a little.

"It's not good to accuse people when you don't know all the facts."

"Hoe?" Sakura asked sitting up. "What are you talking about?"

Marie scoffed. "It's like all families card mistress. There's always someone who paints a bad reflection, and outsiders take it to mean that the whole group is that way. Surely you don't think my many children listen to all their mother's advice?"

"But…"

"Just because you found my crest doesn't mean it was me or even my grandson Dominik, although he may be a little sour that you rejected his proposal. In a family as big as mine has become, you're bound to have a few estranged members who still have ties in the family and know that I may have reason to attack you. They may very well be trying to get to me," Marie pointed out.

"So you're saying you had nothing to do with these attacks and you're not sure who's behind it?" Yue asked carefully.

Marie shrugged. "I have many enemies, many that wouldn't be above framing me and trying to ruin my image."

"Not that it's not already ruined," Cerberus muttered dryly.

Marie may have glanced Cerberus' way but otherwise ignored the comment.

Sakura looked at Marie, trying to gauge whether or not she should believe her. But Yue had apparently made up his mind.

"You're lying," he said bluntly.

"Yue!" Sakura said turning to look at him calmly staring at Marie with steely eyes.

"What did you say?" Marie asked, the pleasant tone from before gone and replaced with calm anger and malice.

"You're lying," Yue said again, not at all fazed.

Marie continued to glare at him as she said to Sakura, "You'd do well to remind your guardian his place and that when two sorceresses are talking, it is not his place to form an opinion."

Sakura looked between Yue and Marie. Though Yue may have been rude, and normally she may have gently reprimanded him, she didn't want to have to in front of Marie, who would no doubt take it as a chance to humiliate her moon guardian..

"Well since we have no proof except the crest, I guess we were too hasty in accusing her Yue," Sakura said carefully and then turned to Marie. "But if it is an enemy of yours or an estranged family member, hopefully you'll do your best to find them."

Marie only nodded and left the kitchen as though she were about to take her leave through the front door. But her presence abruptly disappeared from the house. When Sakura was sure the woman was gone, she turned to Yue.

"That was quite rude of you," Sakura said sighing.

Not unexpectedly, Yue scoffed, the tilt in his head and the stubborn clench of his jaw telling Sakura he was not going to back down.

"You didn't really believe her. Did you?" Yue asked bluntly.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. I find it hard to read her emotions. She could have been telling the truth. Her argument made sense."

"Of course she was lying," Yue said dryly. "She never openly denied it. She just made a suggestion to try and throw us off."

"You can't be sure of that," Sakura said her own stubbornness kicking in.

Cerberus winced. This had the potential to get ugly. Yue and Sakura were definitely gentle and calm souls. But they also had strong wills which meant they both had an awesome stubborn streak when it came down to it. Cerberus had just been waiting for the two to eventually clash. Perfect… Now he'd have to deal with a lover's spat.

"Don't act childish and naïve. Marie is nothing to take lightly despite her pretense of being polite."

"I'm not acting childish!" Sakura snapped and then added in a calmer tone, "And I'm not saying I believed her, but she brought up a good point. It's hard to argue with that even if she didn't directly deny it. She didn't have to."

"Her track record proves otherwise."

"Never know. People can change."

"Trust me. Not Marie," Yue said not budging in his stance and neither was Sakura at this point.

Sakura sighed trying not to become too frustrated as she finally was able to see the concern for her that Yue was trying not to show. He was just being protective again… but that made it no less frustrating to her. They were all on edge, now that she thought about it between the Magic Council, who seemed to be onto her and Yue (she still hadn't mentioned that), and Marie, who's intent was clear but word was questionable. They needed to get away from Japan for a while. They needed…

"We need a vacation," Sakura suddenly said suddenly.

Both Yue and Kero looked at her.

"What?"

"A vacation…" Sakura said. "Away from Japan, to the states maybe."

"The U.S.?" Kero asked.

"Yeah. California in fact. It's not that far and a couple of plane tickets shouldn't cost that much…" Sakura mused ignoring the bewildered look on Kero's face and the delicate arch in one of Yue's eyebrows.

"And you're going to get the money how?" Kero asked quite positive Sakura didn't have it to spend.

Sakura grinned only grinned as she took out her phone. No one would ever know exactly how she convinced Tomoyo's mother to pay for a vacation for them and make arrangements at such short notice, but the next day Toya was reluctantly roped into taking Sakura, Kero, and Tomoyo to the airport.

"I can't believe you were able to convince Tomoyo's mother to pay you and Tomoyo's way to California for four days…" Toya said to her.

"It didn't take much convincing," Tomoyo replied. "My mother would do anything for Sakura."

"Remind me to talk to her about that," Toya grumbled a little disgruntled and rightfully so. He hadn't like the idea of his sister spontaneously deciding to take a trip out of the country with her lover in tow no less. As pure hearted and innocent as his sister was and _acted_, he wasn't completely fooled. She was still sixteen with an admittedly handsome boyfriend that already lived in the same house as they did with no supervision when their dad was away, and Kero didn't count.

"_Relax! Kero and Tomoyo will be with us," Sakura said sweetly._

"_That makes me feel so much better," Toya said sarcastically._

"_It's no different than when we're at home and dad's away."_

"_At least then I can track you down if I need to."_

"_You have so little faith in Yue?" Sakura teased._

"_Sakura's right Toya. You know Yue… It's Sakura you need to worry about," Kero added._

Needless to say, that thought hadn't made the situation any better.

"So how is Yue getting there again?" Toya asked.

"I asked Eriol if there was some way to magically transport him. He said he'll help," Sakura replied.

It had occurred to Sakura early on that Yue, being a magical creation, wouldn't be able to get on a plane with them to go (not that the moon guardian wanted to). It's not like there was any record of him anywhere except in magical ones and even that was scarce. No one had known anything about Yue before his appearance to Sakura at her judgment. And while they probably could have successfully forged everything with magic if they had more time, a day's notice was almost no time to work with. Sakura made a mental note to herself to get on that when she got back home.

* * *

><p>"California… I haven't been here in a while."<p>

Dominik sighed. He almost preferred Jasmine to his cousin's unenthusiastic and dry tone, almost. Anamarie (named after Marie Voss) was a stark contrast to Jasmine, who was no longer working on this assignment after stupidly leaving evidence of their involvement on the attack on the card mistress and forcing their grandmother to have to do damage control.

"Of course you haven't. The Reed's don't take kindly when they detect our presence," Dominik replied. "They've never gotten along with our family."

"The high and mighty Reeds hardly get along with any of the magic families besides the Li Clan," Anamarie said dryly. "But America's a free country. They can't run me out if I decide to pop up and visit."

"They don't have to make it easy on you though," Dominik said as they watched the card mistress walk the streets and go in boutiques and shops along the beach with her two guardian and her friend. She seemed to be trying to cater to her moon guardian, who didn't look like he was enjoying the heat of the sun, nor all the people around them.

"I suppose not. But they'll be much too focused on that card mistress to care or even notice our presence," Anamarie replied. "Now Jasmine had the right idea, but she was a bit too forward… Oh I know."

Dominik watched her summon her underworld monster and then said, "This is something I would have thought Jasmine eventually pulled with her love of everything cute, but you…?"

Anamarie chuckled.

"This little one packs a much more powerful bite than it looks like it could," she said. "And it's much more subtle than Jasmine's tactics. Trust me on this one."

"Hm," Dominik said as he went back to observing Sakura and her guardian.

"Jasmine told me about your theory on that girl and the moon guardian."

"And?"

"I think it's ridiculous," Anamarie said bluntly. "But I'm not stupid. I think you should continue to observe them. He may not be the person that will definitely make the girl tick, but we certainly can't get to her with him or that beast of the seal in the way."

* * *

><p>"Hm… American food is so simple and plain, but so delicious," Kero said passionately as he ate on a corndog in Tomoyo's bag.<p>

"Yeah…" Sakura agreed looking at her corndog thoughtfully. "You try it Yue."

Yue pressed his lips together tightly as Sakura held it up to him.

"No thank you," he said.

Sakura began to argue, but something in the bushes on the way to the building their suite was in caught her eyes.

"What's that?" Sakura asked going over to the tropical bush in the corner and squatting down in front of it.

Whatever it was made a whining noise, but not loud enough for Sakura to figure out what it was.

"You can come out," Sakura said to it and then said, "I know."

She broke off a piece of the corndog and held it out. "Hungry?"

The animal, that turned out to be a small gray cat, warily sniffed the piece of food before taking it into its mouth. After a moment, it purred in pleasure, seeking to get more.

Sakura giggled. "_Kawaii!_"

The kitten leapt into her lap and rubbed against Sakura's chest. She stood up with it in hand, noticing the bell around its collar.

"Oh? Do you belong to someone then?" she asked taking a closer look at the bell, but not seeing anything that indicated so. She only thought for a moment before going back to where Yue, Tomoyo, and Kero were watching her, the cat in arms.

"What is that?" Kero asked nervously.

"A cat? What else?" Sakura asked as she continued to their suite.

"You're bringing it with you?" Tomoyo asked.

"Yeah," Sakura said as she held the cat out to her best friend. "It's so cute. See?"

Tomoyo grinned and took the cat into her arms, and the cat immediately began to rub against her chest. She giggled as she carried it into their suite and settled on the couch with it.

"Sakura's right. It is cute," Tomoyo said as Sakura sat beside her to scratch the cat behind the ears and it began to purr. Both girls laughed.

"What's the big deal over having a cat?" Kero asked deciding to stay closer to Yue who was keeping his distance from the animal also. "Yue's just an overgrown cat in human form. I bet if you petted him in the right spot, he'd purr too."

Kero wisely moved away from Yue who tried to hit him, but missed.

"Oh. I know that," Sakura said continuing to tend to the cat.

It was said so casually, everyone missed the implication for a moment and then looked at Sakura who was acting like she hadn't said anything wrong. Then again, there was that impish glint in her eyes and the tell-tale grin she usually had when she was playing around or teasing. Then again, she might have still just been playing with the cat.

"Sakura…" Tomoyo trailed off.

"Does she know…?" Kero too trailed off.

Yue, despite the light blush forming on his cheeks, snorted. "She knows _exactly_ what she said," Yue said firmly.

Sakura didn't reply, only laughed a little, whether at Yue or at the cat she was still playing with, no one was sure. Then she stopped and looked towards the balcony of their suite before making her way to stand on it.

"Sakura," Tomoyo said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, but I could have sworn I felt someone watching us from over here," Sakura replied.

Unknown to her, Yue and Kero exchanged a looked. Yue raised an eyebrow, and Kero shook his head. Yue frowned, obviously not agreeing but nodded his head anyway.

"So what do you want to order tonight Sakura?" Tomoyo asked looking at the various restaurant brochures, frowning when she didn't understand some of the English and calling Kero over to help her read them. "Or we can go back out…"

"I think we've done enough sightseeing for today," Sakura said. "Besides, I don't want anything yet. You and Kero can go ahead."

Tomoyo and Kero looked at Sakura confused as she grabbed her key to the room and stuck it in one of the hidden pockets of her sundress as she headed to the door.

"You coming Yue?" she asked smiling softly.

A look of comprehension dawned on Tomoyo's face. She then continued to get Kero's help to read the English menus. Yue wordlessly followed Sakura outside, immediately noticing the dip in the temperature from the time they had come back to their cool suite.

"I thought you might like it better out here in the evening, when it wasn't so hot," Sakura said as they went down the stairs and started to walk away from the resort. "Sorry for dragging you out these last few days, especially today. I didn't think it would be so hot."

"I didn't know you noticed."

"Well, it's kind of a given with you. Wasn't hard to figure out. But it's much cooler in the evening, especially on the beach," Sakura said. "I think you'll like it now that it's not so hot."

The beach wasn't that far of a walk from their suite, maybe a fifteen or twenty minute stroll. There weren't many people around, most people having left to get ready for the various night attractions.

"You can relax," Sakura said as she started to walk onto the sand. "No disguises."

Yue looked at her skeptically. The last thing they needed was someone spotting him.

"Okay," Sakura said. "No wings, but other than that be your true self."

Yue let go of the human guise and let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he had been holding in. He really was more comfortable in his true form than his disguised one and thankfully, Sakura didn't mind. He then took her outstretched hand and walked on the sand with her to the edge of the edge of the shore where the both sat down. She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before reaching over an untying the sash around his waist.

"What are you doing?" Yue asked as she began to unbutton his robes.

"We're at the beach. You don't need to look so neat and tidy. Feel the breeze a little," Sakura said pausing for a moment before reaching up and pushing the item off his shoulders and arms. Her eyes lingered for just a moment before she decided to herself that there would be time for other things later. Right now was just a quiet moment. Satisfied, she then settled behind Yue and wrapped her arms around under his arms while leaning her head against his back.

It was impossible not to relax when she did things like this, Yue mused as he closed his eyes and hooked his arms under where hers rested, entangling his hands in her own as they watched the disappearance of the sun, barely a small silver of it remaining in the horizon and the appearance of the waning half moon.

"I know you've been worried about me," Sakura finally said after a long time of comfortable silence had elapsed. "You won't tell me, but I know you are."

"Can you blame me with everything going on? And you've still been having those nightmares," Yue pointed out.

Sakura hadn't mentioned that the nightmare had begun to reoccur more frequently. In fact, she hadn't mentioned that she had it again.

"How did you-?"

"It's hard not to know when a certain someone sleeps in my room more often than her own nowadays."

Sakura sighed. There was no hiding anything from Yue. But she didn't want to talk about this now, not in regards to her anyway.

"Well at least you can tell, but someone's been very quiet about how all this is affecting him and empathy or not, I can't read minds; only assume," Sakura pointed out and Yue tensed a little.

She planted a kiss on his back through his hair and added, "But you don't have to tell me if you don't want to yet. Just let me pretend to be your guardian for right now."

Yue relaxed again, a small smile formed on his lips as he brought up one of Sakura's hands and gently kissed it before settling it back down. That gesture said it all for Sakura, and she held him a little tighter in response, deciding no more words were needed for the evening. It was all too perfect as it was. By the time they realized they had been there for a while-they weren't quite sure how long-it was completely dark. They wouldn't have realized at all if it weren't for them feeling Sakura's phone vibrating in her pocket.

Sakura glanced at the ID and upon seeing Tomoyo's name, she frowned. Tomoyo wouldn't have bothered her when she knew she was out with Yue normally.

"What's wrong?" Yue asked detecting the change in her demeanor.

"It's Tomoyo, but she normally wouldn't call… It must be important."

"Then you should probably answer it," Yue said as a gentle reminder.

"Yeah…" Sakura said as she answered it. "Hey. Is something-?"

"Sakura. You have to get back here right now," Kero practically yelled from the other end.

"Why? What's wrong? Where's Tomoyo?"

"That's the problem. I can't really explain it. You have to see for yourself. Hurry up!" Kero hung up the phone at that.

Sakura put the phone back in her pocket and then sat on her knees to help Yue slip the top of his robes back on.

"What's going on?" he asked calmly.

"I don't know," Sakura said trying to keep the tremble of fear out her tone. "But I think something's wrong with Tomoyo."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Alright everyone. One, two, three, _Kawaii!_ I realized that a lot had been happening in the story when I wrote this, and I hadn't had a good private Sakura and Yue moment in a while. Thus, this chapter was born. The vacation thing was something I had been thinking about for a while, but I didn't want it to be there for the sake of being there. It needed to propel the plot. So anyway, part two Monday! Until then, don't kill me for the cliffy. This hasn't had a good cliffy yet.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	13. Vacation Part II

**AN: **I'm so tired! I was supposed to edit the end of this but I had finals. Needless to say I'm done. So excuse anything that may be an issue. I'm doing this and going to sleep on my nice comfy couch for three hours.

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Thirteen<br>Vacation Part II**

"Kero!" Sakura said coming back into the suite looking for him and Tomoyo. "Where are you?"

"Back here," Kero said grimly appearing in the doorway of the room.

Sakura followed him into the room and gasped when she saw Tomoyo lying still on the bed.

"What's wrong with her?" Sakura asked rushing to her friend's side.

"I don't know," Kero replied. "We were watching the television, and she was just tired all of a sudden. Then she suddenly collapsed on the bed."

Sakura touched the girl's face and nearly snatched her hand back. "She's so cold and pale, almost like…"

"Don't say that," Kero warned. "She's still breathing, but I sense something afoul."

"Sakura," Yue said from the doorway. "Where's that cat?"

"Cat?" Sakura said and looked around. "Oh yeah. Where is it?"

"I don't know what that has to do with anything but-" Kero stopped as he pointed to the now empty spot next to Tomoyo. "Where'd it go? It was just right there? You all didn't see it get out."

"I've been standing right here the whole time," Yue said. "It wouldn't have gotten past me."

"What's the cat have to do with Tomoyo?" Sakura asked as she watched both her guardians exchange a grim expression.

"Silly girl…"

Sakura yelped in surprise, falling backward off the bed at the additional voice. Yue calmly made his way over to help her up, although he still kept wary and narrowed eyes on the newcomer while he steadied her.

"Are you alright?" he asked not looking at her.

"Just… surprised," Sakura said, annoyance clear in her tone as she looked at the young man with spiky black hair, dressed in baggy jeans and shirt.

"Most sorcerers and sorceresses must not understand the concept of using doors, or they disregard it one," Sakura said in obvious sarcasm.

"You've been hanging around Yue too much," Kero replied dryly. "But you're right. It's something to ponder."

"What are you doing here?" Yue asked.

The boy glanced at him and then made his way over to Tomoyo. He touched her face and his already present frown deepened.

"She's still alive, but you don't have a lot of time," he said.

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Sakura asked.

"That cat wasn't a cat. It's a creature from the underworld, a more stable one, but in order to maintain its existence in our realm, it has to such the life force of a living being."

"What?" Sakura said. "But how… I didn't…"

"And to think my uncle left you his legacy," the boy said.

Sakura blinked, not quite catching what the boy meant. "Your uncle? What does he have to do with any of this?"

"Everything," the boy said. "My name's Jacob Reed. Ring a bell?"

Sakura had to be the only one shocked for she detected Yue and Kero only seemed mildly surprised by the revelation. Reed? As in related to Clow Reed? It had never occurred to her that maybe somewhere the Reed family still existed in the western hemisphere of the world, and she wondered why it never had. The Li Clan was descended from Clow from his mother's side, so it was logical that there had to be descendants of his from his father's side in the west. As the revelation sunk in, Jacob seemed to get more irritated with her by the minute and said something else, something Sakura didn't quite catch this time.

He had been speaking English and she understood enough of the words to pick up the general meaning of what he was saying, especially when it had to do with magic. There were many Latin and English terms used in the magic books she read, so she knew most English terms that had anything to do with magic and maybe relations but in general…

Yue said something to the boy in English and though Sakura wasn't sure what, she was certain it had been in a warning tone.

"Yue, Kero. What did he say?" Sakura said in irritation at the language barrier. As soon as she got back to Japan she was going to practice more of her English.

"If you're going to talk to her at least do it in a language she understands," Yue said back in Japanese this time.

Kero snickered, "Don't tell me that coming from a magical family like the Reeds, you didn't learn another language or two particularly of the country Clow was so fond of."

"Is this better?"

Sakura nodded her head. "Much. So how do we help her?"

"We have to find that cat. It probably knew you all would catch on to what it was and escaped. We have to look for it," Jacob replied.

"We?" Sakura asked. "Just why are you here anyway?"

"I'll explain it later, but get this girl. I'm not your friend. We just have a common goal right now. We can't let that thing just be loose in the city. It'll be trouble for everyone here," Jacob said "Do you have anything from that cat, anything that belonged to it?"

"Why?" Sakura asked.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "You didn't seriously think we were going to look all over for that thing? Just cast a simple tracking spell."

"Tracking spell…" Sakura had seen those in her book, but she had never really had the need to use one before. It was kind of hard to miss a harpy flying your way in the sky.

"You don't know how to do one?" Jacob asked. "You're truly overrated oh great power Card Mistress."

Sakura frowned. What was this guy's problem? She had barely known him ten minutes and here he was antagonizing her. She was about to notify him of it until Kero came in with a single strand of hair.

"Will this work?" he asked holding it up for Jacob.

Jacob delicately grabbed the piece of fur. "It should do. I'll be right back."

"What about Tomoyo?"

"She should be fine for the time being," Jacob replied. "Just make sure you keep an eye on her while I do this."

With that Jacob walked out the room, leaving the three to watch over Tomoyo. Sakura sat on the bed next to her watching over the girl. If it wasn't for the steady and slow pace of her chest rising up and down in breath, she would have thought the girl was dead. It was a scary sight to see her best friend lying there, looking so pale, feeling so cold. She just hoped that Jacob could help her find that cat or whatever it was. Speaking of Jacob…

"Do you two know anything about him?" Sakura asked.

Neither replied for a long time and to be honest, Sakura wasn't expecting Yue to say anything first. Like she assumed, it was Kero who began.

"Not about this guy personally, but the Reed family as a whole…"

"We should have warned you about them," Yue said.

"What's to warn me about? They're the other side of Clow's family right?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything, especially since they probably resent you for being his heir," Kero said dryly and before Sakura could ask he continued. "You have to understand Sakura. Clow was an oddity even in his time. You won't believe how dismayed both families were when he up and moved to Japan to prepare to die and leave his legacy for a girl that wasn't born yet. Both families believed the cards as well as me and Yue should have stayed in the family. But while the Li Clan was content to just wait until the cards showed up again, the Reeds…"

"You can't blame them," Yue said. "Europeans had something of a superiority complex back then."

Kero snorted. "And we won't even talk about the one that came along with being a powerful magic family. Needless to say, I doubt there were very happy when word got around about you. Word has a way of travelling fast in the magic community."

"But why haven't they sought me out before? Why now?" Sakura asked.

"You think we were going to go out of our way to track down a single sorceress?"

Everyone turned to look at Jacob who was standing in the doorway, a scowl hardening his already sharp features.

"A lot of other people have," Sakura pointed out.

"Hardly," Jacob said making himself comfortable in a chair in the room. "We've known about your existence for years. But I think it's needless to say that we think it's ridiculous that Clow left everything he owned to a girl that can barely use her magic."

Sakura used to wonder what the big deal about the cards was when she was younger. She had known they were powerful, but they were mostly her friends, her faithful and loyal companions. It wasn't until she got older and started to really comprehend the destructive power of the cards that she understood, particularly when a typhoon flew over Japan one year. She remembered being terrified as she watched the news, anxious at its approach, with her father having been stuck at work with everything shut down for precaution and her brother and Yukito in a similar predicament. Kero himself looked worried as he watched the clouds roll in and the wind coming. Always more worried about her than he would admit, Yue had flown over under the pretense that Toya had sent him because he didn't want she and Kero to be alone in the storm. But it was when she had been forced to use her magic to protect the house that she realized the power she held. She quite literally held the power of nature in the palm of her hand (in her pocket if she wanted to be literal) and could fight it.

If she looked at it from that perspective, then maybe it was a little ridiculous but…

"Better in her hands, than in those of sorcerers as greedy as those in your family," Kero shot.

"Anyway, when we sensed an aura as powerful as yours, we were forced to investigate because powerful sorcerers usually spell trouble and I was right," Jacob said.

"It wasn't Sakura's fault!" Kero said going to face Jacob.

"What fool would pick up a random cat off the side of the road? That kind of stuff is dangerous when dealing with magic. You could have at least checked it for malicious intent."

Sakura, very riled up at this point, snapped, "It was a cat! And are you going to help me or what?"

Jacob looked a little surprised by her outburst but scoffed as he said, "I got the location."

Sakura jumped up. "Let's go then."

"What about Tomoyo?" Kero asked.

Sakura looked at the girl. "Well she's not going anywhere but… Oh I know."

"MIRROR!"

The young girl appeared in front of Sakura and looked at her mistress expectantly.

"I need you to watch over Tomoyo for me okay?" she asked.

MIRROR nodded and glided over to sit beside the girl. Now confident that she was taken care of, Sakura started out their suite. When she was outside, she looked around and seeing that no one was around summoned FLY to aid her.

"So where are we going?" Sakura asked Jacob who was looking at the three a little annoyed. "What?"

"It's great that all of you can just summon wings and soar, but I can't fly," he snapped.

"Then you'll just have to ride on Kero," Sakura said looking at the guardian who had started to protest.

"If you haven't noticed, the great beast of the seal isn't so great."

Kero glared at Jacob and said, "I'll show you great," before transforming into his true form.

Jacob only raised his eyebrow, but said nothing as she crossed his arms.

"All settled," Sakura said. "Now let's go."

Jacob reluctantly climbed on Cerberus' back muttering something about how embarrassing it was. Cerberus grunted.

"Just hope I don't decide to throw you off my back and let you fall."

* * *

><p>Sakura had a feeling it was going to be as easy finding the cat from earlier as Jacob made it sound, but even she hadn't been expecting it to be this hard. After they had arrived at their location which one of the small boardwalk strips along the beach, Jacob revealed that, although they could track the general location, they couldn't pinpoint it, so they would have to search for the cat manually. They decided to split up. It was kind of blessing for Sakura. Now no one would see how nervous she actually was for Tomoyo. If they didn't find that cat…<p>

"Ugh," Sakura said after searching for a while. "We'll never find it at this rate."

"We'll find it if it takes all night," Jacob snapped, scaring Sakura. She hadn't sensed him come up behind her. "Besides, it's your fault for bringing your feud with the Voss family here. You really didn't think they'd follow you?"

"I was hoping… Wait, how do you know that's who's behind this?"

"Only the Voss family would dabble in summoning those kinds of spirits. Dead spirits in the underworld are supposed to remain there, but they don't too much believe that," Jacob replied. "That's why every time they come here we practically run them back to Europe. Marie has been trying to attach herself to us for a long time."

"Marie told me she has nothing to do with it and that she only has so much control over her family."

"You really believed that? Marie isn't just going to let someone who is admittedly as powerful as you just go about her business. I know, and as persistent as she is, everyone knows it's not in the best interest of our family to do so. Hopefully, you've figured out it's not in your best interest either."

Sakura rolled her eyes. She didn't like where this conversation was headed.

"I hope you're not trying to get me to attach myself to a magical family through marriage to get her to leave me alone, least of all your family."

"Don't flatter yourself. I could care less, even if the head of our family would be thrilled at the prospect of getting the card mistress and therefore the cards into the family. But I'm not telling him that. You're quite welcome to continue your illicit affair with that moon guardian of yours," he said offhandedly.

Sakura stopped in her tracks as she turned to look at Jacob and seeing nothing but a cool nonchalant expression on his face, Sakura tried to gauge his feelings only to find that he really didn't care. Still…

"It's not an illicit affair."

"So you're trying to tell me you're really in love with him?"

Sakura nodded and then asked, "How did you know?"

"Relax, it wasn't obvious," Jacob replied. "I happened to see you with him on the beach earlier. Don't worry. I didn't stick around."

Sakura started to say something else to him before she stopped as they passed a particular boardwalk vendor. She walked over that way, ignoring Jacob muttering, "You want a corndog at this time," but Sakura wasn't getting in line. Instead she went and peeked around the back of the booth.

"What are you-?"

"Look," Sakura whispered.

They both looked around the corner where the cat from before sat munching on a corndog it had apparently stolen. Sakura grinned. Who would have thought it had like her corndog so much that it would go back out to find another one? If it weren't a creature from the underworld, Sakura would have wanted to keep it. But alas, she had to destroy it or Tomoyo would never wake up.

Sakura stepped around the corner and smiled sweetly at the cat who noticed her and was watching her with a wary eye as it continued to eat the corndog.

"Hey," Sakura said kneeling in front of it. "Remember me?"

The cat only glanced at her before continuing to ignore her, and Sakura couldn't help but be reminded of Yue. He really did have a personality like a cat. She wondered if Clow had intended for that to happen.

"Come on. I can get you more of those corndogs if you want," Sakura suggested and nodded for Jacob to go grab one. He sighed as he did so and returned a minute later with a hot and fresh one.

"See," Sakura said as Jacob handed it to her. She took a bite to entice it and then held it out.

Figuring out that the one Sakura had probably tasted a lot better than the cold one it had, the cat came up to Sakura and started to nibble on it. Sakura slowly inched it back to her, hoping to grab it.

"The bell on the collar," Jacob said. "That's where it stores all the life force it steals."

While the cat was occupied with the corndog, Sakura inched her hand toward the collar and when she was almost there, it looked like she was going to succeed, until she laid a hand on the bell. The cat immediately stopped eating, looked up at her and then made to run.

"No wait!" Sakura said trying to grab the cat before it got away.

The cat leapt out the way and Sakura, having lost her balance fell forward onto the ground. Groaning she tilted her head up to see the cat running away.

"Hey wait," Sakura yelled running after it. "Come back."

"You know, this might have been much easier if you had just used magic," Jacob replied.

"Too many people," Sakura yelled chasing the cat and Jacob grudgingly admitted she had a point as he followed her.

Sensing that somehow, Sakura was able to keep up with it, even without the use of magic, the cat began leaping from booth to booth angering vendors and a few customers as Sakura tried to catch it when it was down and preparing to jump out the way again.

"Is that your cat?" someone asked. It was in English, but Sakura figured that was the only thing they could be saying since she was chasing it.

"No, she just took something of mine," Sakura said knowing most of them probably didn't understand what she was saying before she said, "No!"

The cat wisely got lost in the crowd of people where some kind of celebration was taking place on the street.

"Oh man!" she said leaning on a railing as she tried to catch her breath.

Jacob came up behind her panting even harder as he said something in English. Sakura caught the word 'girl' and 'fast' so she guessed he said, "You run fast," but it was the least of Sakura's concerns. She was frustrated now, angry even not only at the cat, but at the Voss' for following her here on her vacation and ruining not only the last day of her vacation, but her evening with Yue. That was without the fact that it was her best friend whose life source it had stolen after tricking her into taking it home. It was really late now, but a lot of people were still out and there was no way she was going to be able to find the cat with all this activity.

"That's it," she said and because she didn't have to use her staff for this card she called out, "SLEEP! Put everyone in the vicinity to sleep."

As everyone around her fell asleep, Sakura summoned her staff into her hand and called for LOOP to set itself in play to keep them all in the area.

"Alright," Sakura said locking not onto the presence of the cat, but Tomoyo's life force. She laid eyes on the cat prodding one of the sleeping bodies, obviously curious about how they had suddenly gone to sleep, not noticing Sakura watching it.

"Gotcha!" Sakura said pointing her staff at it as she twirled it. Forget capturing it. All she needed to do was break the bell and she had the perfect card in mind. "SHOT! Use your power to home in on the bell on that cat's collar and destroy it! Watch out for everyone that's asleep," she also added, keeping in mind that people around them.

Catching on to what was going on, the cat tried to run away.

"I knew it," Sakura said as she watched the cat run away from SHOT and try to get lost in the street behind the festival except it ran right past loops border and practically right into SHOT who took the opportunity to aim at the bell on its collar.

The collar shattered and the cat let out a loud shrieking meow as a flash of light was released from the bell and then disappeared. The cat then became a shadow that immediately dissipated into thin air.

Sakura let out a sigh of relief. Behind, Jacob was trying not to be impressed at the way she instinctively used the card as she gently patted a very proud SHOT on his head before he returned to his card form. He still found it ridiculous that she inherited the cards, but maybe…

"She's really something isn't she?" Cerberus asked and Jacob only scoffed.

"This changes nothing."

"Don't worry," Cerberus said. "You're not the only one. She has that effect on everyone, especially him," he added nodding to Yue.

"So I've noticed," Jacob admitted grudgingly. "Does she always get this way when she's angry or determined?"

"This powerful you mean?" Cerberus asked and sighed. "Yeah. She actually has quite the temper, especially when it comes to those she cares about."

"Not like I care. Just make sure she doesn't come back anytime soon. The last thing the Reed family wants is being dragged into the feud she's having with Marie," Jacob warned.

"Why not?"

Sakura was standing with her three summoned cards in her hands as she looked at Jacob.

"Not really coming back here. We can't stop that," Jacob amended. "But just know that when to comes to Marie Voss, the Reeds want no part in it, and you won't be receiving any help from us."

"Is that why you thought I was here? It took you four days to figure out we were just on vacation?" Sakura asked.

"I had to, especially since the Voss' had apparently followed you here. That family always means trouble. Not to mention the magic council wanted us to perhaps adopt you in some sort of way, like what you do is any of our responsibility. You may be Clow's heir, but that doesn't make you part of the family card mistress. You won't get any protection from us," Jacob warned and without even a greeting, he started to walk away down the boardwalk strip and around the people who were slowly beginning to awake.

Sakura looked after him. She was rightfully baffled. What was it about her that made the magic council wary of her and others so hostile, even when they didn't particularly want anything from her?

"Did I just make another enemy?" Sakura asked slowly. The Voss' were already enough.

"No," Yue said with his eyes narrowed in Jacob's direction. "But you certainly didn't make an ally either."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> You're welcome to come up with whatever opinion you want. I have nothing to say today or anything about how this chapter came to be or anything I was displeased with… well I was with the end, but I don't care right know. Hopefully, I'll feel better by Friday. Again, excuse any typos.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	14. Fujitaka Concerns

**AN: **As I was editing this, I could tell that I was really uncomfortable when I wrote it. There were a bunch of run on sentences in it, which meant I was rushing through it. Ugh… Anyway, I got A's in all my classes, so I feel much better now, although I will never know how in the world I pulled an A in one of my classes, especially considering I flunked the first test (I went out of town and forgot I had it!). Anywho, I was much more relaxed. The reason I didn't update this morning is because I'm dealing with a crisis, that crisis being that my wii won't work! Ugh… with the new version coming out next year, you couldn't convince me to buy a new one if you threatened me. That's a waste of money. Anyway, while I go fool with the wii, here's your chapter.

Read, enjoy, and review!

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><p><strong>Chapter Fourteen<br>Fujitaka's Concern**

_Sakura looked around as she tried to move and saw the full moon in the sky. She had this dream enough times to know where she was, but she still had no clue exactly what was going on._

"_Yue, Kero," she called sensing them nearby._

_She was beginning to figure out that this wasn't her present self saying this, rather, herself in the vision. She was trapped. Someone didn't want her to move._

_Then she felt the heaviness in the air as light flashed and those two women appeared briefly before being swallowed into the shadows again, but this time she could see that they were both clearing holding an item; one an ankh, the other a cross._

"_No… stop it!"_

_That was her too._

_A flash of red and that scream again, but with horror Sakura realized that wasn't just anyone screaming. That was her voice…_

Sakura probably would have fallen out of bed again if it weren't for Yue lying next to her with his arm gripped tightly around her waist, preventing her from leaping forward… leaping forward...was that her body reacting like she was still in her dream?

"You had that nightmare again, didn't you?" Yue asked softly.

Sakura nodded reluctantly realizing she had her hand over her mouth, shocked that the scream that had haunted her had come from her own throat.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Sakura didn't answer, only turned over and buried her face in Yue's chest. She didn't remember him being next to her when she finally fell asleep and hadn't expected him to be there when she woke up. He never slept at night and if Sakura were being honest with herself, she usually only got a couple of hours and took short naps at odd intervals during the day, especially during the school year. But with summer, she had been able to get some sleep at night or at least, she would have if it weren't for her nightmares.

"I'm fine. What time is it?"

"About time to get up," Yue replied as he glanced out the window behind her.

Sakura probably should have but instead snuggled closer to Yue and mused, that in her manga, the ones that her brother would throw a fit about if he knew she read, this would be one of those perfect moments where the two lovers would kiss to take their minds off their problems and proceed to make love or try to anyway if they weren't interrupted.

She sighed at the thought and smiled. Yue wasn't the type to fall into cheesy situations like that, and Sakura was perfectly fine with that. She understood why Yue liked the quiet so much. Sometimes it was better than going and talking about everything that was on a person's mind, though she wouldn't mind the making love part. Sakura didn't get it. It was almost as though Yue was afraid to cross that line with her even though she trusted him with her life. Of all people, even when she had been with Syaoran, she trusted Yue most of all. Despite his reluctance to accept her when she was younger and his antagonist attitude towards her, he had always been loyal and trustworthy as a guardian. Perhaps that was part of the problem. Though he had relaxed a little more about it, she knew some part of him still thought of her as his _mistress_ and maybe even the same little girl he had comforted and protected when they first met. It made Sakura aware of how young she really was in comparison to him even though she liked to say that she was a young woman now. Despite his youthful appearance, Yuen was a few centuries old and compared to his age, she really was still a child.

She hummed to herself a little. One day, she'd finally be able to get him to see otherwise.

"What are you humming about?"

Sakura looked up a light blush on her cheeks as she said, "Just us really…"

Yue seemed content to let her stay to her own thoughts as he closed his eyes, but Sakura sensed he wasn't going to sleep. After a while he finally said, "What about us?"

Sakura shrugged. "Nothing in particular."

Yue smile a little and kissed her forehead.

Feeling particularly content, Sakura sighed and said, "Let's just stay here for the day. I'm feeling selfish, and I don't want to share you or myself with anyone today."

"And do what?"

Yue knew he shouldn't have asked as soon as that impish twinkle flashed in her eyes and she grinned.

"I can think of a lot," she said casually, rolling herself over so that she straddled Yue's waist, and then leaning forward to kiss him, first gently and then progressively more passionate and firmer.

It seemed like it had been so long since she had kissed him like this. The attack on Tomoyo on their vacation had ruined her plans with him for their last evening in California and when they got back, her dad was home and hadn't been to work for a few days. So besides Kero, who would usually leave the couple alone, this had been the first time they had been alone in a while, not since around two and a half weeks ago when the magic council had interrupted them. Needless to say, Sakura had more than a little pent up sexual frustration and so did Yue even if he would never admit to such a base human instinct.

"Isn't your dad due back today?" Yue asked her as his hand travelled further south before resting between her thighs.

Sakura frowned. She had forgotten all about that. It was always something…

"Well maybe not all day then, but at least for a few hours," she amended.

* * *

><p>Fujitaka arrived home earlier that day to find that Sakura wasn't in her room. She hadn't left the house either as most of the items she always took with her were still scattered on her desk. It didn't take him long to figure out where she was, and he only glanced at the closed door of her moon guardian before going to get some rest himself. When he came out the room a few hours later to startdinner, he found her diligently working on something at the kitchen table, barely acknowledging that he had come into the room. He was surprised that Yue wasn't somewhere nearby as he usually was when Sakura was having one of her quiet moments. It was a perfect time to talk to her about the things he had been meaning to bring up with her for a while but hadn't found the chance. However, he hadn't wanted to break the concentration she seemed to have on whatever she was doing. It couldn't be homework. It would be a miracle if she had started on her homework at all with a little less than four weeks left in the summer, let alone working this hard. So to spark up conversation he asked her what it was.<p>

Sakura only shrugged as if dismissing it as she said, "Just speculating what a new card might look like… Well two actually. It was supposed to be one but Tomoyo has been insisting on a card that designs and makes clothing and costumes, so I've been tossing around the idea of a glamour card or something."

"New card? You can do that," Fujitaka asked.

"Theoretically. I haven't quite figured it out completely, but I'm almost there. Just need to study some stuff first," Sakura said going back to her sketching.

Fujitaka smiled. "If only you put…"

"…half as much time into school work. I know," Sakura replied continuing to draw.

"So how was your vacation?"

"It was fine for the most part," Sakura said absently.

"The most part?"

Seeming to realize what she said, Sakura quickly backtracked and added, "I mean you know all the complications that come with vacations."

Fujitaka simply went into the fridge and pulled out some items to make himself a small lunch.

"I may not know everything about this other magical world you're a part of Sakura, but I can tell when something's not right. Do you want to tell me about it?"

Sakura sighed. "It's nothing dad. There's just a lot going on right now."

"Is there?"

"You wouldn't understand, and I don't want to put it on you," Sakura replied sighing.

"Is it that bad?"

Sakura didn't reply only gave him an all too innocent smile before going back to what she was doing, and Fujitaka took as a sign that he wasn't going to find out about this one anytime soon. So Fujitaka changed the subject.

"You know I was looking for you when I got home earlier. But you weren't in your room or anywhere else in the house for that matter, I figured you were with Yue since you seem to spend more of your nights in there than you do in your own room nowadays…"

It was said so calmly that the only response Sakura could give was a short intake of breath as she dropped her pencil. Fujitaka turned around to face her, a blush on her cheeks as she carefully avoided her father's eyes.

"Sakura," he said gently, "surely you didn't think I didn't know?"

"I… well no," Sakura said sinking down in her chair. "Yue mentioned it to me, but I didn't think, well… Was it that obvious?"

"It was only a matter of time when you live in the same house together…"

Sakura gave him a pointed look. "Dad, I hid the cards, Kero, and even Yue in the house for five years right under your nose. No offense but…"

Fujitaka was caught this time. "It might have been some eavesdropping and investigating on my part," he admitted much to Sakura's chagrin. "But you and Yue are so secretive. What do you expect me to do?"

"I guess… So what do you have to say about it?"

Fujitaka smiled. "If I had any major problem with it, I would have said something before now. It doesn't mean I'm not concerned…"

"About what?"

Something about the way Sakura was instantly on guard was out of her normal character, and it indicated to him that whatever she was dealing with that she wasn't being forthcoming about to him involved her relationship with Yue.

"Nothing," he said. "Just the things any father would be concerned about."

Sakura let out a deep breath and laughed to herself before saying, "Oh… okay. What's up?"

"I'm going to be honest and tell you that on the surface I didn't see what it was about him that attracted you to him so much. You two are almost like night and day. So enlighten me."

"You seem to have come to your own conclusion," Sakura said, and if it had been any other person, she probably would have successfully evaded answering the question.

"Humor me."

Sakura blushed a little, eyes darting away from him, back, and away again.

"Everyone says that we seem so different, but I don't see the differences because underneath his cold exterior he's a very kind person. Even though he didn't care for me much in the beginning, Yue's never failed to be beside me when I asked. He's been my constant all these years. When I wasn't sure if everyone else was going to be there, I always knew I could count on him to be beside me even if he insisted that it was his duty as my guardian or whatever because I always knew he wanted to be there even before he'd admit it to me," Sakura said and Fujitaka recognized her going off into one of her dreamy states.

He smiled at her hoping he'd be able to snap her out of it.

"It seems like you feel pretty strongly for him, and he's polite and respectful enough," Fujitaka said. "I actually like him."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Concerns. It's just… How old is Yue exactly?"

Sakura laughed. "I couldn't tell you exactly actually. He won't tell me."

Fujitaka smiled, but it didn't quite meet his eyes. There was the easy one out the way. And now…

"Then there's Clow…"

Sakura stopped laughing at that, again darting her eyes away from him and back.

"What about him?"

"What exactly was between them?" Fujitaka asked bluntly, not missing the way Sakura wouldn't look directly at him.

She was silent for a long time before saying, "Dad…"

He held up his hand. "You don't have to explain because something tells me that even you're not completely sure. I just want to be sure that you're happy and that you can handle this."

"You act as though you just found out I've been secretly taking care of a dog or something in my room."

"Sakura, I just want to make sure that you know what you're dealing with even if I'm not. Relationships aren't easy and you seem to be dealing with so much lately that you won't let me be a part of because you don't want me to worry. But I'm going to do that anyway."

Sakura got up and hugged her father. "I know. But don't worry. No matter what, everything will be alright. You'll see."

"_Hai_."

Sakura let go of him, snatched a piece of carrot of the counter, and then collected her sketches before starting to leave the kitchen until her father said, "Sakura."

"Yes?" she asked glancing back at him.

"Sleep in your own room at night," he said firmly.

Sakura looked at her father in a mixture of confusion and mortification, mouth opening and closing as she tried to figure out how to respond to that.

"Dad! Really!" she finally exclaimed.

"If you're anything like your mother was at your age, I'm very aware that underneath that innocent mask is a not so innocent personality somewhere."

* * *

><p>Sakura stopped a few steps away from the kitchen, glanced back at her father to make sure he wasn't paying attention, and stopped, looking to the right of her where Yue was calmly standing by the wall with his eyes closed.<p>

"You were listening the whole time?"

Yue only smiled a little and said, "He's been trying to corner you now for days."

"Has he?"

Yue nodded and then said, "Looks like you'll have to sleep in your room from now on."

"He said sleep in my room. That only means, he better find me in my room at some point during the night," Sakura said with a playful grin and a quick wink as she made her way up the stairs.

When she was gone, Yue went into the kitchen silently, so silent that Fujitaka, who had his back turned didn't notice him until he turned around a few moments later. He jumped.

"Sorry," Yue said though his tone wasn't very apologetic.

"It's alright Yue. Do you need anything?"

Yue was silent for a moment as he stared at Fujitaka calculatingly before saying, "Does it bother you that much?"

"Does what?"

"My relationship with Clow?" Yue asked him bluntly.

Fujitaka was obviously startled. Yue's blunt honesty was something he would never get used to.

"Just curious," he admitted.

Yue crossed his arms and looked to the side, gaze looking out the window in the kitchen.

"If it concerns you that much, Clow and I were once lovers, before he died," he said simply trying not to show his discomfort talking about the subject.

"It must have been hard on you," Fujitaka said. "His death I mean."

Yue made a sound that must have been a scoff and said, "His death wasn't the end of our relationship. It was before that… way before that. The remainder of my time with him was strained to say the least."

This had to be the most Fujitaka had ever heard Yue speak to him and about such a touchy subject too. It made him wonder…

As though reading his mind as he started to leave Yue answered, "I just want you to know that although you may not know it, I'd never hurt Sakura like that even unintentionally. Everyone has enough reason to worry about her without adding another unnecessary fear as this."

"Is that why you didn't care much for her at first? She reminded you of him?"

"It was part of the reason," Yue said giving Fujitaka a look that plainly said he would not tell him exactly what his early impressions of his daughter had been. It was times like these that Fujitaka was reminded that Yue was much older than him, regardless of the fact that he was in love with his daughter.

"But I later realized," Yue continued, "that the traits they both shared were more characteristics all halfway decent powerful magicians have. In every other way, Sakura's very different. I've never met anyone like her," Yue said absently and then left the kitchen.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Okay, so a couple of things about this chapter. One is that Sakura's little musing about the manga she reads that her brother would have a fit about actually has a little one shot to it where she happens to literally drop one in Yue's lap by accident and catching sight of the page she's on, Yue proceeds to question Sakura about her less than innocent taste in manga. I haven't written it, but it's in mind.

Next, there's something about the dynamic between Yue and Fujitaka that I love to write. It's odd. Because Fujitaka's Sakura's father, but Yue is older than him and then that in combination with his personality makes for a very interesting conversation between the two. Anyway, that was it.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please! And I'm going to troubleshoot for my Wii.


	15. Amusement Park

**AN: **This was great to write. This was actually one of my most favorite chapters to write. So I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Sorry for the late update, but things got kind of busy…

Read, enjoy, and review!

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><p><strong>Chapter Fifteen<br>Amusement Park**

Sakura crossed her arms as she tried to figure out the best approach Yue about Kaho's idea. Yue didn't like being around adults and teenagers let alone children. It had been Kaho's idea. There was a carnival in town and all proceeds went to helping needy children and orphans and as a treat those children also got to attend for free. The problem was volunteers were needed. Kaho thought it would be a good experience if everyone went and volunteered. Everyone else had already agreed and even Spinel and Kero were going to try and help as discreetly as they could. Now she had the task of asking Yue to come along. Easier said than done…

"Yue," she said in a sing-song tone finding Yue outside not sitting underneath the tree but in it.

When he didn't answer, Sakura went and got under the tree to look up at him. It didn't take her long to figure out he was asleep. This only made her task harder. Yue didn't like to be disturbed when he was asleep, and she once remembered when he and Kero actually ended up fighting all because Kero thought it would be funny to bother him while he was asleep (they had proceeded to wreck the living room before Sakura pried them apart and forced them to help her clean up). Sakura sighed as she gripped the tree and proceeded to climb it. Somehow, she managed to position herself where she was standing on a branch right below Yue. She then leaned her head on his lap and again called his name.

Yue groaned, obviously bothered, and Sakura figured that if she had been anyone else he would have pushed her out the tree.

"Come on. Wake up. I need to ask you something?"

"It can't wait?" he asked sleepily, and Sakura furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully. Maybe while he was half asleep was a good time to ask him.

"Well," she began, "This weekend there's going to be a carnival where all the proceeds go to help orphans and needy children and they need volunteers. So Kaho suggested that we all go and volunteer Sunday, and she told me to ask you. So will you come?"

Yue was quiet for a long time, and Sakura thought he was thinking about it until he said, "Would you please slow down? I didn't hear anything you said."

Sakura smirked. So he was still half asleep…

"Come one wake up. It's not as if you need it," Sakura said now purposely bothering him.

"Sakura," he growled.

Sakura giggled. "Well if you just say yes to what I asked you I'd leave you alone."

"What do you want?"

"I already told you."

Yue groaned and as he made himself comfortable again to go back to sleep fully he said, "Fine. Whatever. Will you let me go back to sleep now?"

Sakura grinned. "Thank you Yue," she sang and climbed down from the tree.

She sat at the bottom of it trying not to laugh as she waited. It wasn't long before Yue floated down from the tree to stand before her, his expression a mixture of sleepiness, annoyance, and confusion as he looked at her for a moment.

Finally he said, "What did you just trick me into agreeing to?"

* * *

><p>Dominik didn't care what anyone said now. He was convinced the card mistress' relationship with her moon guardian was more than platonic, so now he was on a mission to find out just how much, even as Anamarie was somewhere else ready to test the bonds of the card mistress. He probably should have told his grandmother but Dominik was curious now. How could someone as powerful as that little girl care for someone who was so beneath her or at least, that's what his mother would say. After only observing her for a few short weeks, he could tell this girl and Marie were on two opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to matters of the heart. Marie didn't believe in it. She only believed in attaching to people who could make the family more powerful or much stronger and love never had to come into play. This girl, however, had to be seeing beyond what he was starting to see as such a surface and vain reasoning. But for the life of him, Dominik couldn't figure out how and for the first time since he first met the girl, he found himself wanting to just talk to her. No schemes, no power grabs, just plain curiosity.<p>

"What's going on in that head of yours that has you so quiet?" Anamarie asked. "You enjoying watching all these people wasting their time having fun and helping those who would die out if not for the help of others?"

"No, just that girl," Dominik admitted.

"The card mistress? What about her?"

"She's so different. It's almost like she cares more about the people around her than the power she has. Odd for someone that powerful, isn't it?"

"Don't be fooled by that. If you hit the right nerve, that's all any magician wants when it comes down to it," Anamarie replied. "Why do you wonder? Is there something you should tell me?"

Dominik shook his head. He didn't want to mention it quite yet, not until he had the chance to talk to her and this might be the perfect opportunity.

* * *

><p>"Come on Yue. It won't be that bad. Cheer up."<p>

Tomoyo giggled as Yue only continued to watch Sakura with a bored expression, as if there were a million other things he could have been doing.

"Oh Yue. You can't hate children that much," Tomoyo said gently as Sakura got both she and Yue badges to wear indicating that they were volunteering.

Yue glanced at her briefly to acknowledge her as he always did when talking to her before admitting, "It's not the children that are all that bad. It the noise they bring to this kind of thing…"

Sakura laughed as she grabbed Yue's hand and led them to wherever the group of children they'd be spending the day with were waiting.

"Okay now," Tomoyo said to herself only to have Meiling push her out of the way and grab a big basket of small balls.

"I can't believe you're making me do this…" Syaoran moaned from behind her.

"The kids will have more fun if you're the one being dunked," Meiling replied. "Your reactions are so funny."

Syaoran flushed. "They are not…"

"Stop complaining and come on," Meiling said practically dragging the boy to the dunking booth.

Tomoyo smiled. It was only a matter of time with those two as Meiling had again dubbed herself Syaoran's fiancée until he found someone else. But Tomoyo had a feeling there would be no one else for Syaoran. Meiling had loved Syaoran even when he had been in love with another. Definitely only a matter of time. Now if only she could find someone…

"Oh well," Tomoyo said getting the face paint and decorations. She would find someone eventually, and she was patient enough to wait for them to find her.

Tomoyo was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize someone had come to stand behind her until she backed into them. She gasped and whirled around to face them.

"I'm so sorry," she said a little embarrassed. "I wasn't paying attention."

"It was on both our parts then," he said to her.

Tomoyo looked at him and her mouth fell open just a little at how handsome he was; black hair cut right at his shoulders, tall, a hidden elegance about him… She blushed when she realized she had been staring a little too long.

"Sorry. I got a little spacey there," Tomoyo whispered and then looked back up at him saying. "You don't look like you're from around here?"

"Do I look that out of place?" he asked suddenly appearing self-conscious.

Tomoyo smiled. "No. I mean, you don't look like you're from Japan. Europe?"

He nodded. "Just here for a different scenery."

"That's a good idea. If that's the case, shouldn't you be seeing the sights and having fun instead of volunteering on your vacation."

It was the man's turn to blush as he cleared his throat and said, "Yes but… I had nothing planned for today. So I thought…"

"Are you good at art?" Tomoyo suddenly asked.

"Art?"

"_Hai_. I'm painting faces and no one's been assigned to help me. Why don't you, unless you had something else in mind?"

"I…" he looked around nervously before saying. "Sure."

"Great. I'm Dadouji Tomoyo. But you can just call me Tomoyo."

"I'm… I'm Damon."

Tomoyo found Damon to be a very strange young man at first. He seemed so stiff at first, like the children were some weird creatures from another world, not to mention he seemed so serious, scowling at the young children coming to get their faces painted and even the teenagers who came around to do so.

"Relax. They won't bite, especially if you just smile a little. This is the most fun many of them will have for a while, being orphans and all," Tomoyo said gently.

"Really?"

Tomoyo nodded. "It's so sad, to have both your parents taken away at such a young age."

"I've never done anything like this before, something so selfless I suppose."

Tomoyo looked back at him. "Really? Well maybe you can go back home and do something like this again," she said

Damon nodded, and Tomoyo gestured for the next child in line to come to her. Tomoyo's words had the desired effect, and Damon was significantly less tense around the children. With the way he acted before, one would think he had never done anything nice for someone. Tomoyo started to say so until giggling from nearby caught their attention.

Tomoyo looked up, in the direction of the bumper cars to see Sakura and Yue waiting in line with seven impatient children. To try and pacify them, Sakura began playing with them while they waited. She had started up some of the old hand games she and tomoyo used to play when they were children. However, the children seemed to be having a better time watching her try to show Yue, who Tomoyo could only imagine was wondering how Sakura could move her hands so quickly and complete all the motions of her games.

"Is she your friend?" Damon asked her.

"Sakura?"

"Is that her name?"

Tomoyo nodded.

"She seems to be very popular with the children."

Tomoyo grinned. "Sakura's popular with everyone. She's just that kind of person."

"Why is that?"

Tomoyo paused to figure out how to put it in words before saying, "Because of the way her eyes sparkle with joy and caring. There's a sincerity about her that not many people have. She genuinely cares about everyone, especially the people close to her. Even Yue couldn't resist her charms."

"Yue?"

"Sakura's boyfriend," Tomoyo said absently. "He was a bit intimidating and cold when we first met him and always looked like he had a problem with everyone. But Sakura sees with her heart more than she does with her eyes and tends to bring out the good in everyone if there's any good to be brought out."

They were silent for a while until Damon said, "Wow… I'm almost jealous."

Tomoyo turned away from the child's face whose she was painting and said, "Don't be. Sakura wouldn't like it if you were. Maybe I'll introduce you later."

"I'd like to but I don't think I'll be able to. I am supposed to be on vacation after all," he said smiling for the first time since Tomoyo had met him.

* * *

><p>"Alright," Sakura said as she passed out ice cream. "Is that everyone?"<p>

"Yes," all seven children chorused happily as they munched on their ice cream.

Sakura sat down letting out a sigh of relief as she ate on her own ice cream. It was already early evening now and it had been a long day, especially with seven children between the ages of five and nine to entertain. No doubt they had been from one side of the amusement park to the other and back. At first, the group consisting of three boys and four girls had been a little shy and even Sakura's charming personality didn't help them blossom. Surprisingly, it was Yue they opened up to first, and he hadn't done anything in particular to do so except stand there and then ask if they could get a move on (To which Sakura scowled at him and said, "Be nice"). But the children hadn't been intimidated by him and had instead been more inclined to follow him than Sakura at first. Sakura had to admit, she had been a little jealous, but they opened up to her soon enough and even began calling her _onee-chan_ when they were excited and begging to go to another amusement.

"You know," Sakura began to get Yue's attention. "For someone who didn't want to come here in the first place, you sure seem to have a knack for dealing with children."

Yue glanced over at the group of seven children, eyes landing on the twin girls who had to be the oldest of the group, going on ten in a few days they had found out. He then look back at her and said, "You weren't much older than the two of them when you started catching the cards and maybe a year and a few months more when we met officially."

Sakura looked at the twin girls, Ayame and Hana. Had she really been that young or close to it? It seemed like such a long time ago.

"Was I really that energetic?" Sakura asked in amazement.

"Do you really want me to answer that honestly?"

"I couldn't have been," Sakura said looking at the two girls and trying to picture herself back at that age. She'd have to go back and find a picture or something.

"You mellowed out quite a bit with age."

"But what's that have to do with them?" Sakura wondered.

Yue smirked ever so slightly and said, "I had practice."

Sakura flushed. "I wasn't the easiest child to deal with, was I?"

Yue didn't answer her but Sakura could practically feel the answer in his emotions. Instead, he turned to one of the little girls who had come up to him.

"_Nii-chan_. Can we go to the fun house after this? We thought we'd ask you this time since every time we ask _onee-chan _she says later."

Yue looked at Sakura, who tensed and was holding her cone stiffly in her hands. He turned back to the girl.

"I don't see a problem with that."

"Yay!" she said and ran back over to the other children to relay the news.

"Hoe!" Sakura said with her hands on her face looking positively terrified.

Yue raise an eyebrow. "You're afraid of these so-called fun houses?"

Sakura nodded mutely and probably would have laughed at the adorably baffled expression Yue was giving her if she weren't so terrified. She knew why he was looking at her that way, and she didn't care. She could stand in the face of anyone challenging her magic without fear, battle creatures from the underworld, challenge the Magic Council without batting an eye, and refuse Marie Voss even after she had been attacked three times by the woman, but fun houses terrified her.

"What's so scary about it? The name doesn't imply that it's scary."

Sometimes Sakura forgot that Yue didn't know about some of these things, and it had never occurred to her that he had never been in one. For anything else, she would have found it amusing and happy to introduce him, just like she had been showing him the clapping games she used to play when she was younger. Instead she simply moaned and buried her face in her arms as she waited.

* * *

><p>"Where did you disappear off to?"<p>

Dominik only shrugged.

"I wanted to go see why these parks are such a novel to normal humans," he said.

"And did you learn anything?"

Dominik only nodded but it was a vast understatement. He had learned quite a bit sitting with the card mistress' friend Tomoyo. One, she had unknowingly confirmed his suspicion that the moon guardian was the girl's lover, and then he had learned more about the girl. Tomoyo had talked about her like she was such a good person, a happy person. Could anyone truly be like that? According to his grandmother, no and she might be right in some cases. But not this one. This girl's driving force truly was love and caring, and perhaps his grandmother knew that. In any case, she wouldn't be finding out the card mistress' weakness from him.

"You're hiding something," Anamarie pointed out.

"What makes you say?"

She didn't reply and only hummed as she watched Sakura and Yue with the group of children they were assigned to for the day in line for the fun house.

"I used to love those places when I was younger," Anamarie said in the closest thing to a wistful tone as she could get. "But it seems our little card mistress doesn't."

Dominik looked closer and indeed, the girl look nervous. She was twiddling her fingers, muttering to herself and had stepped closer to her moon guardian.

"There's nothing to be afraid of in there. Just some mirrors positioned to make it seem like someone's in there with you," Anamarie said. "But if she wants to be scared, I'll give her something to be afraid of."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> This was fun to write and originally I had no clue how it was going to go. I just came up with a scene that's in the next chapter and said how can I incorporate it? Actually, this entire story started off with a bunch of scenes and scenarios. So Dominik knows and… well, I never meant for him to end up being this sympathetic for Sakura but it turned out that way and so I decided to work with it. Next chapter is the fun house and do you know I actually had to research fun houses because I've never been in one or any of the renditions of it. So I was like, well, besides mirrors, what's in one of those things. I tell you. Google is my best friend!

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please! And I'm going to troubleshoot for my Wii.


	16. Lost in the Funhouse

**AN: **I'm out of town and I'm updating this on my phone because I have no internet. No comments.

Read, enjoy, and review!

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><p><strong>Chapter Sixteen<br>Lost in the Funhouse**

As scared as Sakura was to go inside the funhouse, the chants and excited voices of the children made her feel a little better. At least they were happy. But only just a little.

"Don't run too far ahead," she said but her fear kept her from saying it louder as they went inside, and she wasn't sure if they heard her or not.

"Hoe," she whined as she went inside, hands over her face, but with fingers spread apart to see just in case. She never understood what was so fun about these places, filled with a bunch of spooky mirrors, giant slides, and whimsical attractions that one could get lost in.

Sakura mostly stood off to the side while the children amused themselves as they went from room to room, slowly but surely making their way up the stairs. The children looked curiously at a door with a swirling design that could make one get dizzy, and then giggled when one of the younger ones began to stumble a little, only steadied by Yue. They twisted the knob and pushed the door open letting everyone inside. The door slammed closed behind them causing all the children to squeak and then laugh. Sakura, however, didn't find it amusing, especially when she saw what room they were in; a mirror maze.

She shook her head and turned to open the door again only to find it had no door from the inside.

"Hoe!" she said banging her head.

"Guess the only way out is through it," Yue pointed out.

"_Nii-chan_ is _onee-chan _alright?" a young boy asked.

"I think so," Yue said looking at Sakura who was now pale with fear. "Hold on a minute."

Yue turned to his mistress, and while he admitted (only to himself) that the things there were a little uncanny and that might have been the creepy factor, the amusements weren't particularly scary in and of themselves. Then again, it was the uncanny that seemed to scare Sakura, just like ghosts, though he still failed to see why they scared her so much. She faced more frightening things quite often.

"Your brother had to have pulled some kind of prank on you in these places to make you so afraid," he surmised.

"Not really. He only said ghosts like funhouses," she said, "And he was right?"

Yue raised an eyebrow. Last he checked, despite all her powers, Sakura couldn't see ghosts, not yet at least. Already aware of what he was thinking, Sakura shook her head.

"I can't see them, but I can sense them and their emotions. They like to add to the whimsicalness of this place," Sakura replied softly. "But they don't mean any harm."

"Then what's there to be afraid of."

"They're ghosts," Sakura said as though it were obvious.

"Yue, Sakura, hurry up!" Ayame snapped.

Her sister however giggled. "They're being romantic."

Sakura was glad they couldn't see her blush as Yue pulled her to him to guide her since she was almost paralyzed with fear.

"Oh look!"

The children spread out to look at the distorted images of themselves in the mirrors.

"Don't go too far. It's easy to get lost in here," Sakura said knowingly despite her fear.

"Let's see who can find the way out first," Hana said ignoring Sakura and the seven children spread out to do so.

"Wait a minute," Sakura said about to chase after them before stopping in her tracks and looking to the side and seeing a shadow through one of the mirrors. Uh-oh. Now of all times?

She turned to look at Yue who now had the far away serious look on his face, all calm and amusement at her previous actions forgotten.

"They couldn't possibly…" she whispered trailing off. "Not right now."

"We have to get out of here," Yue said slowly. "I have a bad-"

"Sakura!"

Sakura ran to where the shout had come from to see four of the children huddled together, Hana bravely in front of them glaring in a certain direction.

"What?"

"We heard something, and then it moved!"

"Okay. Let's get out of here then," Sakura decided. "Where's Ayame, Houshi, and Rin?"

Hana pointed behind her and Sakura looked back to see the three children coming and looking particularly pale.

"What happened?"

"We found the exit," Ayame said softly.

"That's great," Sakura said about to usher the other children out. "Let's go."

"But when we went through it to see, it just brought us right back here," the girl finished.

"It was like magic or something!" Houshi exclaimed.

"_Onee-chan, Nii-chan_, this isn't fun anymore. I want to get out of here!"

Before Sakura could reply there was a spooky cackle, and all the children and Sakura screamed. Sakura also leapt to Yue's side, close to tears as it was. Yue, however, pushed Sakura away from him and gave her a firm look.

"Stop it," he said in a tone Sakura hadn't heard from him in a long time. Kero would have called it mean, and Sakura started to, but Yue continued, "Do you remember what you did at that age, when you were scared?"

Sakura shook her head.

"You found comfort in someone who wasn't afraid. You have to calm down and get over your fear for their sake." He gestured to the children who were now huddled together in fright.

Sakura looked at the group and lost some of her own fear after seeing how terrified they were. Yue was right. Who else did they have to look up to? She may have been terrified herself, but for their sake she had to look fearless, look the same way her moon guardian used to look to her when she was maybe a year or two older than them; fearless and unshakeable.

Sakura nodded and forced her hands to her side turning to the children and saying, "_Minna._"

They all looked at her.

"Don't worry. Everything will be alright," she said to them and instantly the children ran to stand around her and Yue as they began to walk through the maze.

"I know this is magic," Sakura began in a hushed tone so the children wouldn't hear. She had a feeling they wouldn't have heard properly anyway because they were so terrified. "But I can't use my magic in front of them to defeat it."

Yue seemed to have come to the same conclusion and only nodded in agreement, both hoping they wouldn't have to resort to magic in the end even though it was looking more and more hopeless.

"Ayame said that they found the exit and ended up right back here," Sakura continued.

"It seems like whatever it is has distorted reality and time."

"Reality and _time_?"

Yue nodded. "They wouldn't just trap us in here. Someone would notice we've been in here a while and come to get us. So they've warped time to almost repeat itself."

It did feel a little like the MAZE and TIME, Sakura thought to herself. If that was the case, they could be stuck in the mirror maze for hours and no one would notice.

As if to proof her right, one of the children said, "Sakura, we've been walking for a long time."

She didn't answer and in fact had stopped, seeming to be looking intently at a particular mirror. Sakura tilted her head went up to it only to not just see herself, but another figure standing next to her in the mirror.

"What?"

The figure cackled and then snatched its hand out, grabbing for Sakura's throat. She leapt back and fell backwards on her bottom, but the hand kept coming at her. Stunned, Sakura just stared at it as it came. Luckily, Yue appeared to have decided that they were going to have to resort to magic and swiftly scooped her up into the air, thankful that the room had rather high ceilings.

The children gasped and Hana yelled, "Look guys! Yue's an angel!"

Yue landed and sat Sakura down, watching for the silhouette again. Sakura summoned her staff and called out, "SHIELD!"

The children gasps, a chorus a 'wow' was murmured amongst them and then screams as the creature appear in the shape of a witch, cackled and charged at them. SHIELD broke, and Yue threw himself in front of them to right hook the creature sending it flying away. It would take it a minute to recover from that hit.

The children sighed in awe and admiration at him, and Sakura was reminded of feeling that way when she was younger. She still did every now and then, but she had learned after many battles with him at her side, that despite all appearances, Yue wasn't unshakable and more human than even he liked to admit. He could get hurt in all of this too.

"What happened?" he asked in reference to SHIELD.

"It's the staff," Sakura said knowingly. "It can only channel so much of my power. I could just not use it but…"

Yue waited for her to continue and Sakura sighed.

"There's only so much of my power that I can use without the staff before I lose my grip on it. I understand what Eriol meant now. This staff used to help me reach a height of power that I couldn't reach alone and channel it. But now I can reach beyond that and this staff can only reach so far," Sakura said worriedly.

Yue put his hand on the staff and pushed it down to meet Sakura's eyes.

"Right now, too much power might be better than too little," he said, and Sakura nodded though didn't call her staff back yet.

"I know, but I don't want to accidentally hurt them," Sakura said glancing at the children.

"It's back!" someone shouted pointing above them.

The creature charged forward into the ground. Everyone scattered in different directions, and Sakura realized too late, that had been the creature's goal as it lunged to trap one of the children.

"No!" she yelled.

Yue grabbed the child and leapt into the air, holding out his hand and sending crystal shards at the thing. Surprisingly it screeched and was destroyed, but its shadow remained, and it again materialized.

"What?" Sakura asked.

Seeming annoyed that Yue thought he could dodge the creature by flying above it, the creature cackled again as Yue landed with the child in arms and unexpectedly, all the mirrors around them shattered. Rin screamed and buried her face in his chest while Yue knelt down and brought his wings around them to shield her. When the glass settled Yue opened his wings; however a strangled yelp of pain escaped Yue's lips.

"Yue," Sakura said running over to him to inspect his wings, where shards had imbedded themselves in random places, blood seeping from the cuts. He appeared to be trying to resist shaking them out either because it hurt too much to try or because he didn't want glass to fall on the children.

Either way, Yue was down for the count. But it didn't matter. She knew exactly how to defeat this creature and what was grounding it to their realm, but she just couldn't risk not using her staff to help her, especially with all these glass shards everywhere. She'd just have to really push the limits of her staff.

"Please," she whispered to the staff. "I know I have more power than you can channel, but my opponent is really powerful. I need your help, especially today. Just this last time."

Sakura's magic star crest appeared beneath her feet and she spun her staff. Something, felt different, but she didn't pay it any attention as she glared at the witch.

"You know, whoever is your master is really annoying. It's one thing to bother me in my daily life, but another to disrupt the one day when these orphans get to have as much fun as they want and then hurt the person that tries to protect them."

The witch cackled at though amused by the challenge as she prepared to charge. Sakura only took out one card and threw a card into the air.

"Take that creature's shadow away! SHADOW!"

SHADOW materialized and passed under the creature to grab hold of its shadow. Sakura could feel it struggling though as the opposing magic fought against it, starting to overcome Sakura's power.

No, Sakura thought to herself. I can't lose…

The staff glowed vibrantly and then, as though it were a cocoon, the light dissipated as though the block or seal on the staff was gone. The staff lengthened considerably and the circle around the star glowed before shattering harmlessly in a display of silvery sparkles. As if suddenly freed from its restraints, the star grew longer and widened in shape. The staff glowed one final time, the wings lengthening.

"SHADOW!" Sakura yelled one final time and finally the card succeeded in swallowing the creature's shadow.

The creature shrieked and disappeared, for good this time. The mirrors were suddenly repaired and anything that was a result of its magic disappeared, including the glass shards in Yue's wings but that didn't heal the cuts in them only made it more comfortable for Yue to stand with them.

"Yay!" all the children yelled jumping up and down.

"_Onee-chan's_ a witch!"

"A good witch!"

"And powerful!"

All the children yelled as they crowded around her and Sakura looked at Yue, who was still in obvious pain. He smiled as much as he could as he tried not to focus on the pain in his wings and that wasn't much. Sakura didn't think Yue had ever had his wings injured this much even when he fractured it once when she was younger.

"Come on," she said. "Let's get out of here."

* * *

><p>Since neither one of them was exactly gifted at using magic to heal, Sakura had to manually clean the cuts on Yue's wings, and put some ointment on to cool the pins and needle like pain she imagined he was feeling. He had been trying to act like he was alright, like he could have stayed at the carnival for the remainder of the evening, but not even he could hide the glaring pain from her empathetic senses, and so Sakura led the children back over to the volunteer station to find some other volunteers to finish taking them around for the day. She smiled remembering their disappointment, but also their concern for Yue.<p>

"_Aw man!" Houshi said. "Do you and Yue have to go?"_

_Sakura nodded as she walked with the children. "Yue's in a lot of pain right now and we need to go home so he can rest, even if he won't admit it."_

"_Will he be okay," Rin asked._

"_Don't worry. Yue will always be okay as long as I'm around."_

_Hana smiled. "Onee-chan loves Yue a lot, doesn't she?"_

_Sakura blushed. Was it that obvious? Then again, children had a way of seeing things that weren't so obvious better than adults did because of their innocence and purity._

"_I wish I had an angel to love like Yue," Hana sighed._

_Speaking of that…_

"_You all can't tell anyone about what you saw today, okay?" Sakura said to them. It just wouldn't be right to erase their memory._

"_We won't!"_

"_We promise!"_

"_No one's going to believe us anyway," Ayame pointed out._

Sakura smiled at the memory as she started to clean the cuts on Yue's back. She wouldn't have ever seen them if she hadn't noticed the blood on the back of Yue's robes was coming from inside of them when she tried to wipe it off and not his wings. After she was done, she neatly wrapped his back in bandages. Yue may be immune to other contracted forms of sickness, but he was far from immune to physical attacks on his body.

"There," she said when she was done.

Yue didn't say anything, just stood up out the kitchen chair. Sakura walked around in front of him so that she was facing him. She then wrapped her arms around him in a chaste hug and said, "Thank you, for today."

A little surprised, Yue asked, "For what?"

"For encouraging me today, even though I really was afraid. You've always brought out the best in me, even if you had to be cynical and antagonistic to do it," Sakura teased.

"I may have been a little harsh."

"No," Sakura assured. "If you hadn't, I wouldn't have been able to transform the staff."

Yue blushed a little and Sakura giggled at his shyness, pressing a kiss to his lips and holding him tighter.

"Sakura, my back," Yue said pain in his tone.

"Oh! Sorry!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> So that's that. I would say more, but it's nine o'clock and I'm updating on my phone.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	17. Marie's Plan

**AN: **Happy Holidays folks, whatever it is you celebrate. I don't celebrate Christmas, but my family took a much needed break this weekend over another family's house and I tell you I had the best macaroni and cheese on the planet while I was over there. Lol. Updating was no big deal. I was going to do it anyway. But I assumed they would have wireless internet. They didn't and I was just going to skip it, but I hate doing that and not informing my readers before. So I updated on my phone which is why some of the formatting, like linebreaks was off last chapter, but I plan to go edit that.

In any case, I had a good weekend and got absolutely no writing done. I really took a literal break and watched movies and ate junk and stayed up until two in the morning just watching television and talking. I really didn't know how much I needed it. I hadn't just completely relaxed and let myself sit and eat junk all day long in a long time. So although I felt a little fat from eating all that junk, I deserved it and I hope you all are enjoying your holiday just like I'm enjoying mine. So here's your chapter, later than I planned since my mother dragged me out the house when I wasn't expecting to tonight. Lol. That's family for you.

Read, enjoy, and review!

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><p><strong>Chapter Seventeen<br>Marie's Plan**

_Sakura looked around as she tried to move alert as she looked around and saw the full moon in the sky. She had this dream enough times to know where she was, but she still had no clue exactly what was going on_

_She was trapped again. She hated this, feeling so helpless, not even able to summon her fallen staff._

_Her stomach filled with dread and light flashed. Those two women appeared again and Sakura was reminded of LIGHT and DARK except they both wore cloaks over their dresses. The one with mostly black held an ankh and the one wearing white held a cross. They disappeared again._

"_No… stop it!"_

_A flash of red and she screamed again. She said something though. But she wasn't sure what. What was she saying…?_

"Yue," Sakura muttered opening her eyes.

"I'm here."

Sakura blinked, trying to figure out where she was and what had happened. She was in the den, on the couch in Yue's arms. That's right. She had fallen asleep the night before eager to try spells with her new staff after a couple of days of calm. She could comfortably use a lot more magic with it and after a while of fooling around with it, she snuggled next to Yue with Kero in his true form and head resting in her lap as she read a book about summoning spirits. She had come to understand how the cards were a mixture of eastern and western magic. Summoning spirits was something more common in eastern magic and the idea of using cards, specifically to tell the future originated from the west. No one had thought to combine the two before Clow, and he might not have if not for both his European and Asian ancestry.

The only question she had left now was how did she bind a spirit to a tarot card permanently? It seemed like it would be cruel. That had been the last thing Sakura remembered wondering before her nightmare and currently waking up.

"They're getting worse Sakura," Cerberus said to her. "I think it's time we really looked into them. Are they starting to get clearer? Is there anything in them you can describe?"

"I saw two women," Sakura said right off the bat. "It was strange. They looked so familiar."

"Still sounds pretty vague to me," Cerberus said.

Sakura sighed and stood to her feet rubbing her eyes. These nightmares hardly let her sleep at night anymore. Instead, she got ready to prepare for the day. She was meeting Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Meiling at her house so Tomoyo could record her with her new staff. No doubt Tomoyo also had an elaborate costume for her to wear. Sakura snapped her fingers.

"Oh yeah. Tomoyo wants you two to come too. She wants to show us something," Sakura said to them. Almost instantly she sensed Yue's wariness. Tomoyo was no doubt looking for another chance to get him in one of her costumes.

Indeed, as soon as they walked through the door of Tomoyo's house later, she was talking about all the beautiful costumes she had ready to for Sakura to wear and even Yue.

"But we'll do that later. I want to show you something. Just let me go get Meiling and Syaoran. They're in my room with all the snacks and cakes."

Kero poked his head out of Sakura's bag.

"Snacks and cakes!" he said. "Take me there!"

"Oh Kero. They'll be there after I show you all this. Just wait here," Tomoyo said making her way to her room.

She came right back with Meiling and Syaoran behind her before leading them down the hall to one of the extra rooms of the house.

"Where are you taking us Tomoyo?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Right here," the girl said opening a door near the end of the hall and ushering them inside, Sakura first and foremost.

Sakura had hardly stepped inside when she saw what was in the room and gasped.

"_Tomoyo-chan_…" she said in amazement.

"What do you think?" Tomoyo asked pushing Sakura further into the room so that they could all get in. "The closet I used to keep them in was getting really cluttered and so my mother helped me clean it out and move them so they could be better organized in here." Tomoyo giggled. "She insists I'm too talented to only use my skills to play dress up with you and wants to help me showcase them. What do you think?"

Sakura was simply too amazed for words. Had she really been through that many outfits? She walked around the room in amazement where outfits hung on racks on the walls all around the room high and low; the most memorable were showcased on manikins, accessories and all. Everyone was in awe, even Yue.

"You really wore all of these?" he asked fingering a particularly odd looking one with cat ears and tail and a pink dress made with rubber.

"I remember this one," Meiling said. "It was the first one I saw you in."

"Too bad you can't fit most of them anymore," Tomoyo said. "But my mother wants to start a line of costumes for Halloween this year. I'm going to call it _Sakura's Closet_."

Sakura laughed sheepishly. "Really Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo nodded and Sakura sighed. At least this hobby of her best friend would inevitably help secure her future. Then Tomoyo started to walk out the room and gestured for them to follow her. They followed her to another room as Tomoyo said, "But alas, that chapter of your life is over now, and it's time for a new one."

With that, Tomoyo opened a second door and ushered them in.

"Tada!" she said, and Sakura laughed nervously as she glanced at Yue who did not look pleased.

"What's this?" the card mistress asked.

"The beginning of a new era of course Sakura, to celebrate a new grown up you and the love of your life. Out with the pink and frills and in with the grown up and sophisticated. It's the new older you. I only made a few matching ones for Yue since I could hardly get him to allow me to dress him for Rika's wedding." Tomoyo sighed. "I have so many ideas though and there's only so much I can make. How's that sew card coming along?"

"GLAMOUR," Sakura corrected.

"Oh yes. That's right. It does have a better ring to it. So how's it going?"

"I thought we were here to see Sakura's new staff," Syaoran asked in annoyance.

"Of course we are, but we can't do that without Sakura getting properly dressed first, and I have the perfect outfit," Tomoyo said going into a closet in the room. She came back out with the said outfit and said, "Tada!"

Sakura blinked.

"Tomoyo…"

"Isn't it awesome!" she said as Kero flew up to inspect it closer.

"Wow," Kero said. "Do you really pay that close attention to Yue's outfit?"

Tomoyo nodded. "As a future professional costume designer, I must. So come on. Let's put it on."

Tomoyo didn't wait as she dragged Sakura in the closet and then peaked her head out the closet saying, "You all head out into the garden and no one's around Yue. You don't have to be in disguise… Actually for the shoot I need you and Sakura to match so…"

Yue only regarded Tomoyo the same way he always did. Cerberus was at the top of his list of people who got on his nerve, but this girl with her endless persistence and nagging was a close second. He usually had to remind himself that she was Sakura's best friend.

At his reaction or lack of one, Tomoyo pouted.

"Sakura, tell him!"

"I'm not getting in between you two," Sakura said dryly.

"Sakura!"

* * *

><p>"Oh great. You're all ready," Tomoyo said coming out the house, pleased to see Syaoran and Meiling in their ceremonial outfits, and Yue in his true form. "You too Kero."<p>

"Where's Sakura?" Meiling asked.

"Oh, she's just being shy. Come on out Sakura," Tomoyo called.

"Are you sure…?"

Tomoyo sighed went back inside and then came back out pushing Sakura forward.

"So, how does she look?"

Sakura put her hand to her side waiting for the reaction. Tomoyo really had managed to capture Yue's garments in feminine form. Instead of two pieces, it was a one piece, single layered dress, a purple ribbon pulled it in just above her natural waist. Off shoulder flared sleeves covered her arms and to help keep the dress in place, two pieces of fabric ran from the top of the dress' low neckline, a purple jewel attached to them to sit right below her collar bone, and clasped around her neck.

"Wow," was all anyone could say.

Yue appeared particularly speechless and after a moment realized he was staring. He turned his gaze to the side, a blush appearing on his cheeks.

"See! Yue likes it," Tomoyo decided.

"It's not that I don't like it," Sakura said. "But does it have to have such a long split."

If Sakura hadn't mentioned it, no one would have noticed the long split up the dress to mid thigh on her left side, at least until she started properly walking again.

"Well, I wanted it to look more streamline and so made a straight dress, but it would restrict your movements if you had to fight in it. Since I didn't want to flare it out more, I added the split. Besides, it adds to the adult look," Tomoyo explained. "Anyway. Time to shoot. Sakura you stand next to Yue."

After positioning everyone for her photo shoot, Tomoyo looked like a kid in a candy shop as she snapped some pictures, though she continued to complain that Yue looked too bored.

"Oh right," Tomoyo said. "Sakura your staff!"

Sakura had nearly forgotten about that. She took it from in a strategically hidden pocket in her dress-"You can't very well wear it around your neck in this," Tomoyo had said-and summoned her new staff forward. She twirled it a few times, like a baton and then rested it in on her shoulder.

"How did you manage to summon this?" Meiling asked amazed as she looked at it. It was much taller than her previous staff and seemed to be much more elegant in appearance.

"Has Eriol seen it yet?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura laughed. "I almost couldn't get him to leave the house when he came to see it. He was so proud."

"So, you've got to tell us everything," Tomoyo said camera still in hand. "The only ones there were Yue and those kids, so it means we missed everything."

Sakura sighed as said, "Well it attacked me when we were in the funhouse, in one of those mirror mazes."

Tomoyo furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully, and Sakura thought she was going to tease her about her fear of funhouses until the raven haired girl frowned and said, "So it actually directly attacked you this time?"

Everyone stopped to look at her, the tension in the air rising at her observation.

"What do you mean?" Cerberus asked.

"Well, all the other times, the creatures never directly came to look for you to fight. They only attacked you when you confronted them. I noticed it right away. Usually when you face an enemy, they confront you first. Odd. Isn't it?"

How could they not have noticed? In fact, the cat that had taken Tomoyo's life force had run away from her, not challenged her. It was such a crucial piece and in Sakura's mind her mind went back to her visions. Those two women had been so familiar to her…

"It's almost like they're testing you Sakura," Cerberus said as it dawned on him to.

"Almost as if trying to see…" Meiling trailed off but Syaoran had no problem finishing it.

"If you're powerful and determined enough to do something…"

Sakura gasped. That was it. The two women looked so familiar because they looked like the cards in their physical manifestations. The ankh and the cross, life and death…

"Sakura!"

Sonomi ran out into the gardens (Cerberus barely able to run behind a tree so she wouldn't see him) breaking the serious mood as she said, "The maids told me you were here. If I had known, I would have come down to see you earlier…"

She trailed off, eyes landing on Yue. She didn't even appear to be curious about the way they were dressed or even the staff Sakura was holding as Tomoyo was always making some kind of costume and props to go with them. Sonomi was curious about something else.

"Ah," she said going up to Yue. "So you're the young man that my Tomoyo said has captured the heart of my dear cousin's daughter?"

Yue didn't appear fazed by her blunt question and simply said, "Yes."

Sonomi turned to Sakura and said, "Now Sakura. I'm disappointed. Why didn't you bring him here to meet me earlier? You are serious about him correct? Or is Tomoyo exaggerating like she sometimes does?"

Sakura laughed a little, resting her hand behind her neck nervously.

"Um… This is Yue."

Sonomi laughed. "Oh then you do have to tell me all about him. Come on then. It's almost lunch time. Why don't we go inside or I could bring it out here so Tomoyo can finish recording?" She looked at Meiling and Syaoran who looked a little out of place. "You all are welcome to have lunch too of course."

Everyone exchanged a glance before looking back at Sonomi who was already heading back in the house to see what they could have.

* * *

><p>"I see now where Tomoyo gets her eccentric nature from."<p>

Sakura giggled at her guardian's comment. She didn't blame him though.

"You don't like Sonomi then?"

"I just find her a little annoying. Other than that, she's tolerable enough," Yue replied as they walked. He stopped by one of the _sakura_ trees in the garden. Sonomi had quite a few spread throughout it, along with many _nadeshiko_ flowers. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Sonomi had cared for Sakura's mother very much and by proxy, the woman's daughter as well.

"That's good, because Sonomi seems to adore you."

Yue snorted. "She seems more thrilled that you've found, and I quote, a handsome man like me that makes you so happy, you practically shine," he said dryly resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

Sakura latched on to his arm and looked up at him. "It's true you know," she said. "Even when you didn't want to be and when I wasn't quite sure, you were always able to make me shine."

Sakura didn't even let Yue respond or be bashful, if he was bashful about it before she pressed her lips against his. It was not meant to be a peck and so Sakura wrapped her arms around Yue's neck to let him know this. They would have continued if they weren't interrupted by someone making a scoffing noise near them.

"Hm… I always had a feeling you two were closer than you let on."

Words could not describe Sakura's dismay as she jumped away from Yue, trying to figure out some way to explain all this even though she knew it would be in vain.

"I really did want to give you the benefit of the doubt, but this just makes it plain obvious. You should be more careful," Midha said and then shrugged. "There's no need to deny it. You love the guardian. Whatever. I don't sense foul play and I'm not one of those prejudiced bigots that think you're lowering yourselves. Exceptions have been made before. It's rare, but contrary to popular belief, it's happened before. That isn't the problem I have at all with this…"

"Then what?" Sakura asked confused, a sinking feeling in her stomach.

Midha sighed. "I did investigate your claims against Marie and her family, and she probably told me that same story she told you. But then I talked to the Reeds, and they're right. She has a track record…"

"So I started thinking of possible motives she'd have to attack you. I mean, it may be annoying, but you're a capable sorceress. Then, I remembered this little secret affair of yours…"

Sakura frowned. Midha may not have a problem with her relationship with Yue, but she was obviously having a problem believing it. She was about to say it, but Yue impatiently spoke first.

"Get to the point."

Midha huffed. "Marie's testing the strength of your bonds, looking for just the right shatter point so she can trick you into doing exactly what she wants you to do for her."

"I don't get it," Sakura said softly, not liking the feeling she had.

"Think about little girl. You're powerful and as much as you want to deny it, as long as you have those cards, the most powerful sorceress the council has seen since Clow Reed, not just in power but admittedly determination and innovation, which is one of the things that make Marie dangerous to cross. Anyone would be dumb to try to challenge you openly. So they have to take a different approach… Your greatest strength and also your greatest weakness."

Sakura didn't get it at first, not until she went back to her vision. She had screamed, screamed someone's name and before she could decipher it, she woke up and called Yue's name… Yue…

"_Yue_," she whispered.

* * *

><p>"I don't like failure…"<p>

The two siblings and their cousin winced at their grandmother's icy tone.

"And I don't like waiting. The longer I wait, the more we risk the card mistress catching on to my plan. I want an answer now. You've had long enough. Who's her weakness?"

"Well…" Jasmine replied. "Well I don't know. I haven't been watching her lately. You took me off when I accidentally gave us away."

Marie turned to Anamarie, who although looked indifferent, was terrified by her grandmother's hard, power radiating stare.

"I'm not exactly sure but…"

"Let me see," Marie said bluntly.

All of them looked up at her but Marie's gaze didn't falter, and so they had no choice but to open their mind up to her to let them her see the attacks from their perspectives out of their memory. The three closed their eyes and using the natural bonds she had with all her descendants as the head of the family, Marie let the memories transfer to her mind and she closely observed them.

Dominik prayed. He couldn't believe he was doing so, but after talking to Tomoyo, that girl who was the card mistress' best friend, he felt something that he had never felt before. He felt guilty for disrupting the life of someone so sincere and aiding his grandmother in trying to expose her weakness, a person who saw with her heart and not with her eyes, who didn't care about trying to get power and because of it was granted with more power than most people dreamed. She was entirely selfless, unlike his grandmother, and that's what made her so dangerous. That's why he prayed his grandmother didn't figure it out, but it was hopeless. His grandmother hadn't gained her reputation by being oblivious and stupid.

"Well," Marie suddenly said, a thoughtful look on her face. "How surprising… disgusting, but surprising. Figures a person like her would have a weakness for such a low creature, a magically created thing."

"What?" Anamarie and Jasmine asked, but Dominik already knew.

"Here's your new job. No more attacks, no more magical creatures. Even you can't mess this up," Marie said with a tone that said there would be severe consequences if they failed.

They stiffly nodded.

"Good. Kill the moon guardian."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> When I was writing this I said to myself, this was so obvious, but maybe it's because I wrote it and I am a writer so you really have to work to fool me in a story. So tell me what you thought. I know I can expect Moon Calf to. Lol. However, there are a lot more twists and turns to this story. It's not the end… And I thought this story would be twenty chapters… Tsh. More like thirty. Anywho I hope you all had as good a holiday as I did whatever it is that you celebrate.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	18. Marie's Plan Part Two

**AN: **Happy New Year everyone. I tell you, I'm in a rush even as I update this which is not right. I just want to stay home and do absolutely nothing and order Chinese takeout or pizza. Oh well. Anyway, I never realized how heavily my style is influenced by manga and anime until this chapter and when someone pointed it out to me after just reading a summary of another project on the internet. But more on that later. As you can also see, a title would not come to me, so when all else fails, use the word Part Two. Lol.

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nineteen<br>Marie's Plan Part Two  
><strong>

"Those two always manage to disappear on us," Kero said dryly seeing Sakura and Yue out the window. It was safe now for him to come out, for Sonomi was hard pressed to escape her work to begin with just to have lunch with them and had to go before it caught up with her.

"I think," Tomoyo said as she stacked the dishes from lunch, "that it's so sweet. Sakura's never been happier; at least I don't think so. What do you all think?"

She looked back at Syaoran and Meiling who both snapped their heads from their intense conversation to Tomoyo who laughed.

"What are you two up to?"

Instead of seeing the blushes that she had intended to induce, both remained serious, Syaoran with his arms crossed.

"What's wrong?" Tomoyo asked putting her hands in her lap.

"We were talking about what you said earlier, before your mother came in, where you said the creatures never attacked Sakura, and she always had to confront it first," Syaoran said.

"Oh."

"I think you were right about them testing her, but I don't think it was her power. That much is obvious. You'd have to be blind not to notice," Syaoran said.

"Then what do you think?" Kero asked.

"Well, let's go over the attacks. They must have something in common. Let's start from the beginning. The first attack was at the farmer's market," Meiling said ticking off fingers. "Then there was the harpy at Rika's wedding, next was…"

"When we were in California," Tomoyo added.

"And then there was this latest one, where she transformed the staff…" Kero finished.

"That seems so random," Syaoran said groaning in frustration.

"Well let's look at from the point of view of what they could have been testing," Kero suggested. "Maybe it was something less obvious… Her determination, will, purity?"

"Well if we're assuming that Marie Voss is behind this, what does she want from Sakura?" Syaoran asked.

"To help her conquer life and death by creating cards for them," Tomoyo said.

"Right," Syaoran said. "So whatever their testing is linked to that. Somehow, they're trying to force her into doing it."

"Well it takes a fair amount of will and determination to capture the essence of life and death, let alone personify it. But not so much purity. It's been done before but with disastrous results," Kero replied.

"So how does this all tie in?" Syaoran asked and then groaned. "I can't figure it out."

Meiling suddenly gasped. "It's because they aren't testing her will and determination! Their testing what brings it out the most!"

"What?" everyone asked.

"It's like you said Tomoyo. They never attacked her, but people around her. The first attack was general, just to see. The harpy threatened to ruin Rika's wedding," Meiling explained.

"That cat almost killed me," Tomoyo added. "And at the fair…"

"Sakura transformed the staff and defeated it after it had threatened the children and Yue was too hurt to help her," Kero finished.

"So in essence, Marie's trying to test the strings of Sakura's heart, just how far she's willing to go to protect the people closest to her and by proxy the lengths she's willing to take to save them even at risk to herself," Syaoran surmised. "In hindsight, that makes a lot of sense…"

"So Marie's not so much trying to force Sakura to do anything as it is find something that will drive her into doing something…" Kero said trailing of.

"But as far as we know, this hasn't driven Sakura to create a life and death card, right?" Tomoyo asked.

"Uh-oh," Kero muttered.

"What?" everyone asked.

"Maybe that's the point. It's a test right? So that just means she's trying to find something, if they haven't found it yet," Kero replied looking out the window to where he observed Sakura now talking to someone else; Midha. "They're trying to find the person Sakura's most likely to go to any lengths to save if she has to. I think we need to get Eriol over here. I think I know exactly who Marie is looking for."

Meiling took out her phone to do so, just as a maid knocked on the door. Kero flew behind Tomoyo as she called for her to come in.

"You have a visitor," she said.

Tomoyo blinked. "That's odd. I wasn't expecting anyone else today. See them in."

The maid left and a few moments later, the visitor appeared in the doorway causing Meiling to drop her phone, Syaoran to gasp and grip the edge of his sword, and Kero to return to his true form, ready to defend them if needed. Only Tomoyo responded favorably, albeit in confusion.

"Damon!" she surprised but thrilled to see him nonetheless. "What are you doing here, and how did you get the address?"

"Damon?" everyone asked her.

"Yeah," Tomoyo said with a faint blush. "I worked with him at the carnival the other day."

"Tomoyo, that's not Damon. That's Dominik Voss. He's the next head of the Voss family once Marie dies," Syaoran explained.

Tomoyo gasped and then looked between her friends and Dominik confused. There was no way. She hadn't detected any type of malice or ill intent from him at all. He had seemed so genuine if not a little tense.

"But… He was so nice to me and all the children."

Dominik bowed his head. "I apologize for deceiving you, but I just wanted to know more about your mistress."

"Why? So you could tell your grandmother?" Cerberus growled.

"No. I… I was just curious. I really haven't met anyone like her. I just wanted to know why she was so different," Dominik admitted.

"You're a Voss. Your family isn't exactly known for motives that simple," Meiling said dryly.

"Take it how you want. I'm not here to argue with you. I'm here to warn you," Dominik said getting to the point. If he could warn them like he intended, the blood was off his hands. It was on them if they wanted him to believe it or not.

Meiling snorted. "As if we'd believe you."

"If I had intended to harm you, I would have done so by now. I'm not my grandmother, and you don't have much time."

Cerberus started to say something but Tomoyo cut in, "I think we should hear him out."

Everyone looked at her, and then Cerberus said, "Hurry up."

"Marie's after Yue," he said bluntly.

"Yue? But-."

"This has all just been a game for Marie. She's after the card mistress, but not because she wants her dead. It would be a waste. But if she could get to someone close, the person she'd go to any lengths to save…"

"You told her!" Cerberus yelled.

"No!" Dominik said. "She figured it out. It's hard to hide anything from her completely. She's too shrewd!"

"Hide?" Meiling asked.

Dominik sighed. "I've known for a long time. I noticed it right away, something I get from my grandmother I suppose. But I didn't tell it. I'm genuinely trying to help you."

Everyone was silent, exchanging looks before Syaoran finally said, "Why?"

Dominik was silent for a long time as if contemplating what he wanted to say. They were expecting some selfish excuse, like if his grandmother found a way to be immortal, he'd never get his inheritance or something along those lines Instead he said, "When I figure it out, I'll tell you. The point is Marie wants the moon guardian dead."

* * *

><p>When Sakura thought there was nothing else that could possibly be put on her, something always did. This wasn't how she had been expecting her summer to go. She was supposed to be having a good time, enjoying her first summer with Yue. Instead her summer had been nothing but trouble, filled with magic and danger. And now… now this…<p>

She stared at Midha for a long time, a penetrating stare that rarely crossed her features, one meaning she was actively trying to read the council member's emotions for any indication that she was just saying this; that she was just lying or trying to get her to bend. There was wariness, fear, timidity, but it wasn't a lie.

"Now you understand," Midha said to Sakura. "See? This isn't just about the magical community. It's about you too. Powerful sorceresses like you aren't allowed to have 'true love'. It's too dangerous, literally a weakness, a weakness that people, like Marie, are willing to expose."

"But… she doesn't know… She can't. I didn't…"

"I'll give it to you. Even I seriously doubted it for a while. You were certainly subtle about it and perhaps that's where you got in trouble…"

"How long have you known?"

Midha shrugged. "It was just a hunch until now. But the problem is Marie's not afraid to act on a hunch. The worst that happens is that she has the wrong target, and she'll try again."

"So you don't think she knows yet?"

"Marie didn't gain her reputation because she was oblivious and stupid. The woman is the matriarch of a powerful magical family. It's only a matter of time."

Tired of the woman's coldness, Sakura growled and snapped, "How can you be so heartless about all this? How can you just come tell me this and then act as if there's nothing I can do?"

Midha raised an eyebrow and started to reply, but someone beat her to it.

"Because there is nothing you can do."

Sakura jumped, a little startled that she hadn't sensed the presence of the new arrival. She looked up to see a woman who appeared to be scarcely older than twenty-one with dark brown hair. But when dealing with sorcerers and sorceress, she could never be sure.

Midha only raised an eyebrow and said, "Anamarie. Haven't seen you in a while. I heard Marie kept you under lock and key for a long time, no doubt didn't want you to scar her already questionable reputation."

"Anamarie?" Sakura asked looking at Yue who only shrugged, and Sakura guessed that this had probably been the first time he or Kero had been in touch with the magical community since before Clow Reed died.

"Marie's great granddaughter and absolutely no one to be trifled with," Midha said warily and then sighed as she looked at Sakura and Yue before stepping in front of them. "Get out of here. Powerful as you may be, you've got too much of a pure heart. Marie's family fights dirty and this isn't catching a bunch of mischievous cards. It's fight to kill if you need to or be killed."

"Kill, but…" Sakura trailed off as she sensed the woman's dangerous intention and then looked at Midha. "But why would you-."

Sakura yelped and called forth SHEILD as Anamarie charged forward with a scythe that magically appeared in her hands. The scythe struck the shield, and it faltered a little but held fast.

"Your power's increased," Anamarie pointed out as she held her scythe at her side. "Hm. This is going to be harder than I thought."

Anamarie twirled her scythe in her hands before backing away and slashing the air with her staff. A black scissor like attack shot forward and shattered SHIELD. Midha moved aside and Yue pulled Sakura out the way, and Anamarie's attack fell into the ground causing it to combust and kick up dirt, obscuring their vision.

"Sakura!" Kero yelled as he, Syaoran, Meiling, and Tomoyo ran out the house after hearing the commotion.

"Perfect," Midha said. "More targerts."

Sakura summoned her staff just in time to meet Anamarie's scythe as she charged forward at her.

"Stupid girl," someone muttered. "Fight her. Don't just sit there!"

Sakura looked up in surprise at the foreign but familiar voice. Dominik Voss? Why was he here, and what was he doing trying to help her against his own family member? Noticing her distraction, Anamarie took advantage of it and knocked Sakura back with her staff, but instead of going after her charged at Yue who calmly but swiftly moved out her way.

By this time, Cerberus had joined the fray and let out a powerful beam at Anamarie of which the woman barely escaped from.

"Damn it," Anamarie said when she landed, holding her scythe in front of her as she looked at her opponents and then her eyes landed on Dominik. She didn't look surprised, only mildly intrigued before she scoffed and said, "I always knew you were a softie. You've got too much of a conscience to go after your ambitions."

"Anamarie just stop," Dominik said to her.

Anamarie looked at him briefly before waving her hand in what might have been a simple dismissive gesture if she didn't have magic. Instead three underworld monsters appeared from the ground to distract him and the newcomers as she almost lazily turned her attention back to Sakura, Yue, Cerberus, and Midha. Both guardians moved in front of their mistress to protect her but Midha huffed while looking at Yue.

"You can't just leave yourself open like that. Don't you understand that you're the target?" she snapped as she stepped in front of him. "You two get out of here."

Yue obviously didn't like being told what he should do, especially when it consisted of running away from a battle. He schooled his features in his trademark cold expression and looked at Midha with steely eyes, obviously about to say something that would not be nice. Sensing this though, Cerberus cut in.

"She's right Yue. Get out of here and take Sakura with you," Cerberus said with a tone of finality that surprised Yue and also told him they knew something he didn't, and he didn't like being kept out of the loop.

"What do you know?" he asked his brother bluntly.

"Just trust me," Cerberus said. "You'll be protecting Sakura more if you takeoff with her now. Go somewhere they won't be able to find you. Preferably, not home."

Yue scowled, intelligence obviously insulted as he said, "I know-"

All three sensed the attack and Sakura summoned JUMP just in time to jump out of the way of the aerial attack with Yue and Cerberus.

"What was that?" Sakura asked as she landed on top of the wall next to the garden.

"You weren't thinking of leaving were you?"

Sakura looked up to see who their attacker was and did a double take when she saw a little girl.

"What?" she asked.

"Don't be deceived," Dominik warned from below. "Jasmine is the master of disguising herself and likes to use the guise of a little girl. It's no reason to underestimate her."

Jasmine looked at Dominik curiously before saying, "I thought you were a little too fascinated with the enemy."

"This is wrong Jasmine," Dominik said and Jasmine shrugged as a black ball appeared in her hands. She began to bounce it and for every bounce, a creature from the underworld was summoned. First it was some kind of black dragon, next what appeared to be a werewolf, and lastly an unassuming woman (but Sakura knew from experience with the harpy that this woman was much more than she seemed).

"Keep our unwanted guests busy," she said directing them to Meiling, Syaoran, Midha, Cerberus, and Tomoyo. "Me and Anamarie will handle the little star and her moon guardian." She glanced at Dominik. "And of course the issue of traitors is personal."

"Great idea Jasmine," Anamarie said twirling her scythe.

And it truly was. It was hard to get past the dragon once it blocked the others in even if they wanted to help as it spewed black fire and swung its massive tail.

"Now to more important things," Jasmine said summoning spiked ball with a long silver handle on the end. She stood on her cloud and in the blink of an eye was right in front of Sakura with it ready to swing. Yue pulled both himself and her out the way in the nick of time. Jasmine's spiked ball crashed into wall surrounding the edge of the garden.

"Could you stop moving out the way?" she asked, and Sakura growled.

"Put me down," she said to Yue.

"This is too dangerous," Yue replied holding up his hand and unleashing his crystals upon Anamarie when she tried to sneak up on them with her scythe.

"Stop trying to protect me. I'm not the one who needs it this time. Let me protect you," Sakura said.

"You don't-."

"I want to," Sakura said replying to what she knew he was going to say. "I'm not asking you to run away. But I am asking you to let me defend you."

If Yue had anything to say to her, he never got the chance to say it, for Jasmine giggled and said, "How cute? A lover's spat."

She swung with her spiked ball again, much more wildly this time. So when Yue and Sakura moved off the way, she nearly lost her balance on her floating cloud. Yue let Sakura go and the card mistress summoned her own wings before twirling her staff.

"Since you like swinging that thing around so much, I think it's only fair I get to do the same," Sakura said to her. "POWER!"

The ability of POWER merged with the staff and as Jasmine swung her spiked ball, Sakura used her staff effortlessly knock it back.

"No fair!" Jasmine said and huffed. "Guess I'll need a bigger b-"

Jasmine squealed as Yue deliver a quick uppercut to her chin while Sakura summoned SHEILD to block Anamarie's oncoming attack. Sakura learned from before though. Anamarie's attacks were strong, and it weakened her more to shield them that to fire an attack back.

"WINDY! FIREY! Work together to restrain Anamarie!" Sakura shouted and the two cards went right to work to trap the woman.

"That's not going to work," Yue said watching the two cards. "Not WINDY anyway."

As to prove his point, WINDY passed right through Anamarie, but she did bring down her scythe in a forward arch to create a shield to try to deflect FIREY. Anamarie was still weakened though.

"Why didn't WINDY work?"

"Yin and yang theory," Yue said.

"Yin and yang theory?" Sakura asked wondering why she didn't know about these types of things before hand.

"Every sorcerer's magic operates under one of the signs. That's why Clow's magic was so revolutionary and sought after. It gave him mastery under both signs," Yue replied.

If the situation weren't so dire, Sakura wouldn't have been able to stop the questions that popped up in her head. But alas, all of this was on a need to know basis. Everything else could wait.

"So what's that…" Sakura flew over Jasmine's head as she came back with a spiked ball twice the size as the one before it. "…mean?"

"Anamarie operates under Yin so unless you really put some force behind your attacks, nothing under that sign is going to affect her."

"That's half the cards!" Sakura exclaimed and flew out the way of Anamarie's attacks.

"If you put enough power behind it, they'll still work. You can overpower her with her own signs, but the fact of the matter is you're still a very passive opponent…" Yue trailed off a little, but Sakura understood what he was implying.

She still pretty much fought the same way she did when she fought Yue at the final judgment; reluctant to hurt anyone even when they were trying to hurt her. Despite their malicious intention, she didn't want to seriously injure Anamarie or Jasmine. Now she understood why Midha doubted her ability to handle Marie. Perhaps, temporarily a tactful retreat was the best way to go.

"ILLUSION, MAZE! Trap Anamarie and Jasmine and their magical summons to distract them so we can get away!"

Working together, the two cards managed to gather the three magically summoned creatures along with Anamarie and Jasmine.

"Let's go," Midha said seeing the opportunity to get away.

"Oh no. This is a mess," Sakura said to Tomoyo who got on top of Cerberus.

"Fix it later. You all get out of here," Dominik yelled.

"What about you?" Tomoyo asked.

Before he could respond an explosion sounded from within the maze and a black cloud of smoke appeared out the top.

"Just go," Dominik yelled.

He didn't have to say it again.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> This was one of those chapters that I really put no effort into writing and therefore a lot of stuff came out that I wasn't expecting. The yin and yang theory. Spur of the moment idea which might be elaborated upon later. Dominik's betrayal of his family. That was more planned, but it didn't go quite the way I originally conceived it. Originally, he was supposed to actually fall in love with Sakura, but then I decided it was too much like Sailor Moon (Arc 2 of manga or Season 2 of anime).

Speaking of Sailor Moon, a lot of this story was inspired by ideas I practically grew up on and melded together along with a lot of creative license when it came to the CCS universe. Sailor Moon was one of them, the using someone else to lure the hero into a trap is a classic, one of the ones that I can think of off the top being Harry Potter and also Inuyasha, the meddlesome government or council is common enough, and the powerful people not allowed to have a weakness or love is a Star Wars thing.

I realized in this chapter too that I had a lot of pieces that weren't connecting yet and this chapter helped connect those pieces a little. Anyway, still more to come. There are at least… Ten more chapters I think? Don't quote me on that.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	19. Brotherly Love

**AN: **I'm so thrilled everyone's enjoying this. I am too. In other more horrible news, this is my last week of freedom before school starts again… Damn. Oh well. Maybe it's time to get back in the swing of things. I seem to have a much better schedule during school. Any notes on this chapter are at the end so,

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nineteen<br>Brotherly Love**

She knew it wouldn't be easy. All relationships had their difficulties and falling in love with her moon guardian came with its own specific difficulties as her dad had wanted to make sure she was aware of when he finally managed to corner her. But this was different. _This_ wasn't supposed to be happening.

Sakura sat on the bed quietly, having not said a word since they arrived at Eriol's house. She had hardly greeted the boy when she arrived and didn't even try to explain what was going on. Everyone else could do that. They had been there. Sakura just took it upon herself to find one of the many empty guest rooms in the old house and sit inside it. Yue came in a few minutes late, and Sakura looked up, but winced at the strain in the back of her neck and shoulder. She had to have fallen or moved some way and didn't notice it before in the heat of the battle.

Noticing her discomfort though, Yue wordlessly moved behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders, finding the strained areas and then starting to gently massage them to ease out the stiffness and tension. Sakura slowly relaxed her body though her mind and emotions were still in conflict and turmoil. Yue had always been good at doing things with his hands. The problem was he didn't like getting dirty. She smiled just a little at the thought. It explained why he used magic for everything. She'd get him out that habit eventually… If they could get past this mess.

"How can you be so calm about all this?" Sakura finally asked. "How can you act like everything's normal?"

"Because it is," Yue pointed out. "This wouldn't be the first time I've been targeted to get to you."

"This time is different," Sakura said softly. "Those other times I didn't know I was in love with you."

Sakura sensed her moon guardian's bashfulness, and any other time she would have taken full advantage of the opportunity to tease him. Sakura wasn't in the mood this time though.

"This is my fault," she added as she hung her head. "I didn't know loving you would put you in danger."

Yue raised his hand to her face, using his thumb to wipe away the tears he knew were threatening to fall even without looking directly into her face.

"Don't cry," he whispered to her putting his other arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. "Tears don't suit you."

"Aren't you worried, Yue? Do you ever worry about anything?"

Yue didn't answer her immediately, and Sakura wondered if this was one of those questions he wasn't going to answer at all. But if he weren't, he would have done that trick where he answered the question without answering it.

Finally he said, "Not for myself. But for you, always."

They might have stayed like that for a while for it was exactly what Sakura wanted at the moment, exactly what she needed. But a knock on the door and a request forced the moment to end.

"Sakura. I know you're not feeling very social at the moment. But we need you and Yue," Eriol said.

Sakura sighed.

"The way I see it, we can either go see what they want or sneak out the window," Yue said to her.

Sakura couldn't help but laugh, and Yue's gentle smile said that it had been his intention for her to laugh. He wasn't serious, not completely anyway.

The two made their way into a drawing room where everyone including her brother and Yuktio were gathered. Midha was sitting in a chair with her arms crossed, a very serious expression on her face. Sakura sat down, not liking the tension in the room. Sakura felt like she was in court and about to face the prosecution. As soon as Sakura sat down, with Yue opting to stand behind her obviously detecting that Midha was not about to be pleasant, Midha began.

"Cerberus says you've been having dreams and typically when it comes to a powerful sorceress such as yourself, they're prophetic. What was in them?"

Sakura looked at everyone in the room and then back at Midha who was impatiently waiting for her to answer.

"I'm not sure. They aren't very clear."

"Then what was clear about it."

Sakura rolled her eyes at the woman. She wasn't in the mood to be interrogated.

"Two women. One was in black and one was in white. The one in white was holding a cross in her hands and the other was holding an ankh. I only got a glimpse of them. I don't know what they doing. Then there's red and…" Sakura trailed off as she remember the scream, her scream.

"And?" Midha asked.

"Nothing," Sakura said quickly. "That was it. Why?"

"Because I think those dreams have everything to do with Marie. This has gotten dangerous and I don't think it would have gotten this far if you had just heeded my warning to begin with. This would be much less bothersome if this weren't some silly little fling but you seem to have genuinely fallen in love with your moon guardian. Just perfect," Midha scolded. "Do you understand the gravity of this situation?"

"No. It's not like Marie's trying to get to me to kill my moon guardian at all," Sakura grumbled and everyone in the room besides Midha froze. Sakura wasn't the sarcastic type. A little impish, yes. Playful and teasing, yes. Acting oblivious under the false pretense of innocence, yes. But a sarcastic Sakura was a dangerous sign.

"Silly girl. This isn't about you. It's never been. You're in danger of putting the entire magical community in danger. You're-."

"I didn't ask for this!" Sakura exclaimed angrily. "You act like I did this on purpose to attract some power hungry sorceress who wants to live forever. I didn't do anything wrong. And quite honestly I'm tired of you and your ridiculous council's condescending views on my personal life and what I do with my magic and how I life my life. I could care less about the magical community at this point."

"That's quite selfish of you," Midha said calmly and her indifference only succeeding in setting Sakura off more.

"I'm not asking for much here," she snapped.

"Quite honestly, it would be less dangerous to hand you let you revive and control Japan's dead monarchy," Midha said bluntly.

Sakura looked like she could have lunged across the table to throttle Midha. Instead she said, "Get out!"

Midha raised an eyebrow to which Sakura stood, her usually non-impressive height seeming to magnify with her anger.

"Get out or I'll put you out myself. You go and tell your stupid fellow council members to leave me alone!"

Sakura didn't wait to see the woman leave. Instead she stormed out the room leaving everyone looking after her. Yue started to follow her, but Toya stood and shook his head.

"I'll go make sure she doesn't do something reckless."

* * *

><p>Sakura groaned as she fidgeted in Tomoyo's costume. It was nice and the girl had been right about the split providing the flexibility it otherwise wouldn't have, but she was itching for something more comfortable and had left her other clothes behind in her haste to leave. That GLAMOUR card Tomoyo kept talking about really would come in handy.<p>

She sighed when she sensed her brother's approach and got ready to be stubbornly defiant about what was really bothering. But to her surprise, he didn't say anything. He simply reached in his pocket and the next thing Sakura knew he was dangling car keys in front of her face.

"What?" she asked.

"Let's go for a ride," he said. "You can drive."

To say that Sakura was baffled was an understatement. Of all the times…

"Now? Really?"

"You've been asking me to teach you to drive all summer and when I finally get around to it, you're hesitating," Toya said dropped the keys in her hands. "Come on. Let's go."

Sakura blinked as he walked off. She then darted inside the house and came back out before she went to where he was standing next to the car. If this had been a normal situation she would have been giddy with excitement over the prospect. But as it was she almost didn't care at all and had half the mind to give Toya the keys and go back to what she had been doing; however, seeing as the opportunity may not come again, she got into the driver's seat, and Toya slid in next to her with the apparent cool he always had. She was very aware that he was a tad nervous though. However, he had no need to be.

Without any of his instruction, she pulled out of the driveway and onto the street before asking, "Where are we going?"

"Is the park a long enough drive for you? I would let you drive into town but…"

"I borrowed some of Nakuru's clothes," Sakura said nodding to a pile of neatly folded jeans, tank, and flip flops in the back seat.

"Town it is," Toya said and Sakura continued on. He could help but notice that for someone who was wasn't supposed to know how to drive, she was good at it. Too good in fact. He hadn't had to give her any instruction at all, and about three-fourths of the way to the café they had settled on, Toya pointed it out to her to which Sakura grinned in a sheepish manner and averted her gaze.

"Well, I watched you and dad do it for years, and it isn't that hard to pick up…"

"Sakura."

She sighed. "So maybe this isn't the first time I've driven…"

"In who's car?"

"No one's. Let's just say I found a practical use for CREATE…"

Toya gave her a sharp look, but times like these simply reminded him of how independent she had become since discovering her magical abilities and then becoming the mistress of the cards. Sakura could use magic for anything she wanted even if she didn't like the idea of doing so. She really could take care of herself and do things for herself.

Sakura went to the bathroom to change while Toya ordered her a drink and waited on her to return. She then went to put the costume in the car before coming back and taking a seat. Her milkshake was already there along with Toya's cup of cappuccino.

"I can only imagine that this must be really hard on you," Toya began. "And don't act like it's not."

Sakura didn't immediately answer in expression or vocally. She just kind of remained what would be neutral and pleasant for her, and Toya wasn't sure if she was trying to lie or figure out how to put her feeling in words. When she was younger, she just wouldn't have reacted like this. It would have all been in her eyes and the smile that wouldn't quite reach them when she tried to play it off. Toya assumed it was either Yue's influence, everything going on lately, or simply maturing and possibly coming into some kind of womanly grace. He had a feeling it was a mixture of all three.

Finally she sighed. "I hate this and not so much for me. I've gotten used to being targeted and wanted over the years. It's nothing new."

Toya didn't say anything. He was content to let Sakura take her time.

"But I hate this. I don't know how to handle when my enemies go after someone I care about, and I've never quite cared about someone like I care about Yue. I worry for him more than I worry about myself."

Toya raised an eyebrow. As far as he could tell Yue seemed to be taking this entire situation in stride like he did everything else. However, he trusted Sakura on the matter. She had always been a little more in tune to Yue than everyone else was, at least after she got over how intimidated she used to be by him. When he said as much, Sakura made a sound that was a cross between a snort and a sigh if it were possible.

"Yue's always had a certain level of insecurity about himself when it comes to our relationship no matter how much I try to reassure him. He's never quite open about it, but it's the times he sometimes tries to remind me that he's technically speaking not human or wants to act above human need that gives it away. And it bothers him, really bothered him at first, but I thought we had gotten past that hurdle, at least until now. The problem is I can't get him to talk about it," Sakura grumbled.

"I know the feeling…" Toya said dryly causing Sakura to look up at him in surprise, so he continued, "For two people who are practically on opposite ends of the personality spectrum, Yue and Yuki really do act more alike in some ways than either will admit."

Sakura blinked, tilting her head to the side a little. It had never occurred to her that Yukito might have the same insecurities about himself as Yue, maybe worse actually. Yue had no problem admitting to her that Yukito had only been meant as a disguise as cold as that harsh truth may have been. That was one hell of a thing to live with; that your existence was an idea, an artificial existence that took a life of its own by some miscalculation in someone else's grand plan. It would make a person wonder if they had purpose beyond that.

"At least, you're not technically speaking Yukito's master," Sakura pointed out after she had pondered it a moment. "At least on some level, you can talk to Yuki like you're two equals with free will. Sometimes it's difficult to get Yue to truly speak what's on his mind and that has nothing to do with his quiet personality. I don't think Yue knows where the line draws between mistress and lover. If you ask me, it doesn't exist."

"Well have you told him that?"

Sakura started to nod before she thought about it and realized she hadn't. At least not outright. She shook her head.

"Well that might be a start. You're not usually one that holds back Sakura."

"I can't help it. If I hadn't held back in the beginning, it's likely I wouldn't have a relationship with Yue to discuss with you right now."

"Well now you do and to be honest Sakura, I don't think you'll be able to properly deal with this entire situation with Marie if you aren't sure exactly how you dealing with this is affecting him," Toya said to her.

Sakura nodded. "I know that. But approaching Yue about something so sensitive is always a delicate process."

Toya shrugged. "Then deal with it how you deal with everything else."

Sakura looked at him expectantly.

"Head first and with no inhibitions," Toya said with a smile.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> So this chapter was really something to write and I have a lot to say about it myself. Throughout this whole story, the focus in more so on Sakura and I did that on purpose, not for story purposes, but because I had no idea how to portray how Yue felt about the situation. So I said let's make this a subplot.

In this chapter, that subplot kind of came out, and I decided to take it from Sakura not quite knowing how to handle Yue in this kind of situation and in this chapter I revealed a lot of that hesitancy, her holding back and in a way, that's out of character for Sakura if you think about it but at the same time not. I guess it's just kind of two traits that I played up on that contradicted each other in a way because she's a very passionate and feeling person to me outwardly.

So this chapter kind of got back around to why I wrote this story to begin with, and it was to write an adventure featuring a Yue/Sakura romance. It's just that the romance gets kind of lost in the adventure of the entire story even though I set up for this from the beginning.

And one more thing. I'm taking creative license with the driving thing because in Japan, the legal age for driving is eighteen. When I accidently came upon it while trying to research the legal age of consent (don't ask me why I was looking that up) I was like, what! Then my mind went back to an episode of Sailor Moon when Usagi asks Haruka how is she's able to drive a car because Haruka's only sixteen and I was like, oh duh! Anywho, whatever.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	20. Motivation

**AN: **You all are going to hate me and that's all I'm going to say.

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-one<br>Motivation**

Sakura hadn't been this nervous about approaching her moon guardian with something since she was twelve and wanted him to come to lunch in the park with her, the cards, and Kero. But like then, she put her nervousness aside and let out a long breath. Yue raised an eyebrow at her. He already knew she had something she wanted to say. It was the only reason she would have dragged him outside the house late at night when everyone was asleep, and there was no chance they would be interrupted as they had been lately. He quietly waited for her to do so, the only indication that he might have been amused being the slight smile on his lips as he watched her.

Finally she said, "Be honest with me Yue. It's been so hard to read you since all of this started happening. What's going through your mind?"

The smile went away, replaced by that neutral expression he always wore as he raised an eyebrow. Sakura frowned. He was about to do that thing where he answered her question without at all answering it. Today she wasn't playing that game.

"No," she said firmly. "I don't want to be pacified today. As of this moment no matter what anyone says, no matter if you're duty bound to me by magic, I am _not_ your mistress. I never wanted to be your mistress. I'm your lover, and I want you to talk to me like I'm your lover! Everyone else is dumping their demands and problems and issues on me except the one person who I really wouldn't mind."

To say the least, Yue was shocked by her outburst, not quite sure how to reply to it. But seeing that Sakura was expecting an answer he finally said, "I just… You're dealing with so much more…"

"I don't believe you, not completely anyway," Sakura said bluntly and then admitted with a sigh, "It hurts me that after all this time you still can't find it in yourself to fully trust me with all your insecurities instead of leaving me guessing."

Yue didn't say anything, his silence enough confirmation for Sakura. Yue always intended for his silence to mean that he didn't want to answer and or didn't feel the need. But if that was the case, Sakura knew he would have just wisely answered it without answering it. Silence meant he didn't want to admit she was right for fear of hurting her feeling. But it was too late for that. He was just proving her point.

Sakura sighed. It was late, she was tired, Midha had gotten on her nerve, Marie wanted to kill Yue, and said moon guardian was being difficult. Maybe she'd feel better in the morning? She started to make her way back inside when Yue reached back and caught her hand, stopping her from leaving. He was silent, looking up at the waning three-quarter moon for a while before pulling her back to him.

Finally he said, "I didn't know it bothered you so much. You don't show it." Then he added with a small smile, "Unlike you, I'm not an empath."

Sakura smiled a little adding, "I guess we're both guilty of hiding some aspect of our feelings about certain issues," Sakura admitted.

"Sometimes I wonder if you're better off without me."

Sakura snapped her head up to look him in the eyes.

"Why would you think that?" she asked. She had a general idea, but she wanted Yue to say it to her first.

"None of this is your fault. If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I should have known. I did know. I just… seem to lose all sense of reason when it comes to you."

Sakura huffed. "Stop talking as though you're omnipotent or something, because contrary to your belief you're only human, just created by magic. You're allowed to give in to your own feelings against all logic just because you want to like anyone else. Otherwise you wouldn't have been created with them."

"Still…"

"Yue," she whispered with a smile. "Don't blame yourself for any of this. I'm not a child you should have guided and let do something they shouldn't have. I wanted this. I still want this. I want…"

Yue kissed her softly on the lips, cutting her off before admitting, "I know you're not a child anymore. But old habits die hard. You're still so young…"

Sakura would have been offended if anyone else said it so, but she supposed that compared to him, she was. But that still didn't keep her from being a little frustrated. She wasn't that young and she was determined to prove it to him, to make him stop blaming himself for the things he couldn't stop her from doing.

"And I've done more things than most people do in a lifetime so I think that evens it out," Sakura finally replied with a shameless grin.

This was usually the point where Sakura initiated a kiss, but to her shock, Yue moved in first, passionately and soon aggressively surprising Sakura a little for usually she had to coax him first.

"Yue," she whispered against his lips. "What?"

"Thank you."

Sakura pulled back to look him in the eyes, noting his seriousness, the usual bashfulness not there.

"For what?"

"That you put up with me, despite everything."

"Even when I thought you didn't like me, you were always my loyal protector. Despite your cynicism, you never turned away from me. It's not easy but it's worth it for you."

Yue didn't reply, but Sakura could see the appreciation in his eyes, touched by the fact that his loyalty to her went both ways, and if her dedication to staying with him against other's advice and despite the warnings of the consequences wasn't proof, nothing was.

Someone muttering under their breath in another language interrupted the moment, catching their attention. Sakura inwardly groaned. When all this was over, she was going to take Yue on a long vacation with her away from Japan and she dared anyone, particularly her brother who would have a fit, to stop her when she did.

Yue raised an eyebrow at the next string of words that came as out stumbled Dominik, still mumbling in his native language. He looked worse for wear and was holding his right wrist which was bent at an odd angle and bleeding.

"What happened?" Sakura asked as she rushed to help the man.

Dominik pushed her away. "I'm fine. I grew up fighting Anamarie and Jasmine. It's no big deal. But there is something you should be worried about."

"What?"

"Marie's on her way and she's not at all happy," Dominik warned. "And believe me. You can't imagine. I believe what she said was that if she wants something done she has to do it herself."

"What's that mean?"

"Exactly what it says."

Marie came out behind Dominik, albeit much more graceful than he had. But unlike the other times, there was no false shows of being polite, no concealed maliciousness. She obviously was not happy, and she had come to do what she needed and get it over with.

"I'm so disappointed," Marie said to Dominik without taking her eyes off of Sakura and Yue. "My own heir betrays me…"

"Mother-" Dominik was abruptly cut off as she waved her hand dismissively and sent him flying backward.

"I'll deal with your betrayal later," Marie said and without preamble summoned sliver sword with a pitch black hilt.

"When you want something done, you always have to get your hands messy," Marie said and launched forward with her sword.

Sakura help but notice that even in her rage and determination, Marie fought the same way she carried herself, with a haughty grace as though she were the superior one and there was no question she was going to get what she wanted. Sakura didn't let the observation stop her from leaping out the way using jump as Yue took to the skies to avoid the attack. Marie simply geared up for another attack and launched herself into the air where Sakura was, barely giving Sakura enough time to call her staff forward and use it to stop the sword.

Marie only pulled back and struck again from a different angle causing Sakura to fall backwards. Sakura called on the power of FLY and shot into the air.

"I don't think so," Marie said as energy gathered in the air and the surround area became charged with electricity.

It was like a thunderstorm without the thunder and dark clouds. It charged the air around them having a paralyzing effect on all those in it except the user. Sakura crashed to the ground, dropping her staff in the process.

Marie smiled in satisfaction as Sakura tried and failed to get up from where she was. Marie laughed a little, enjoying the struggle she was putting Sakura through. Sakura glared in frustration. This woman had been given her problems since the beginning of summer, and to think she had been willing to give her the benefit of the doubt a few weeks ago.

"You really are powerful. I give you that. Even people without magic can sense it. You're so powerful you can't hide it. I almost feel sorry that you aren't using your power to the extent that you can to defeat me…"

Sakura wanted to point out that Marie had at least three hundred years on Sakura but she doubted that's what the woman meant.

"When it comes to magic versus magic, you always win hands down. But when people take a more direct approach, you can't find the power," Marie said. "I'm sure if you really wanted to you could defeat me right now. But you know why you can't?"

"Enlighten me," Sakura grumbled.

Marie grabbed Sakura by the chin and forced the girl look her in the eyes.

"Because you really don't want to defeat me. You have a heart is the problem. You care too much about humanity. You're so naïve to think that one look of those pretty eyes and a little reasoning and a few words of forgiveness will melt a cold heart like it did your little angel over there," Marie said. "It doesn't work that way. Sacrificing others is the only way to get what you want in life. Someone _always_ loses little girl, and you'd do well to figure that out now. People are friends today and enemies tomorrow. The only constant in this world is power. Either you have it or you don't, and it doesn't discriminate.

"That's why I'm more powerful than you. You don't have enough ambition, card mistress, the will to do what it takes. That's where I make up for what I lack in power in comparison to you. Your lack of ambition is what makes you weak. You have to have the drive and you have to want _badly_," Marie finished letting Sakura go.

"I think you need a little more motivation and ambition," Marie concluded. "It's hard to come by in people like you. But don't worry, I know exactly how to give it to you."

The woman's eyes landed on Yue, suffering from the same effects as she was. Sakura started to ask what she meant until her vision came back to her, in a much more literal sense than in her memory. This was her vision. This was…

"No," Sakura said as her heart started to pound in her chest. "You can't."

"_I am_," Marie said making her way over to Yue, sword in hand.

"You stop it!" Sakura yelled trying to overcome the power of the charged air.

Marie ignored her, and Sakura looked at Yue who seemed to have an idea of what was going on, but was calm and cool as always, almost accepting of the matter. Sakura was far from accepting.

"So I was right. The moon guardian is the key. Disgusting, but fitting for someone like you, someone who doesn't care about power…"

It was hard, but somehow Sakura found it in her to move and begin to stand in the charge which further amused Marie.

"Look at what you can do when I just threaten him," Marie said. "I wonder what you'll do to save him from dying."

With that statement said, Marie pulled back her sword back and punctured the moon guardian straight through the chest with her sword.

"Yue!" Sakura screamed as she yelled, the same haunting scream from her vision, the vision that tried to warn her.

Marie pulled out the sword and watched the moon guardian fall, looking not at all regretful. She hummed a little to place her hand on the moon guardian's wound.

"You really are powerful, probably a testament to how powerful your little mistress is. But even you aren't completely immortal, otherwise I might envy you," she said and then stood up to carelessly regard Sakura who could only see red. It was so much red, much more red than the streak in her vision. Red. The color of blood. The color of fire. The color of anger.

Sakura never knew true rage until that moment as she looked at Marie, who was carelessly looking upon Sakura, delighting in her pain. Electrical storm forgotten, Sakura stood up and charged with a speed she normally didn't possess in the use of her wings at Marie.

"Oh look. Now the little kitty cat's angry," Marie taunted as she moved out the way of the attack. Sakura landed clumsily in the spot the woman had been in, her ability to recover stunted by the storm, despite her ability to move.

"I did you a favor card mistress," Marie said to her. "But I'm sure you don't think that."

Being attacked by THUNDER confirmed the woman's assumptions.

"Hm," Marie said recovering from the electric attack, the card having effectively cancelled out her electrically charged atmosphere. "Go ahead and attack me child. What will it help you anyhow? Your moon guardian's still dying and you can't do anything to save him."

Dying… That word seemed to snap Sakura out her rage at the woman as her eyes landed on Yue and she fell into despair, rushing over to him, sobs beginning to rack her body as she pulled him into her laps, the tears falling harder when she heard him hiss in pain.

"Monster…" Dominik said to Marie as she passed by him. "Not a morsel of remorse."

Marie glared at him coldly and then said, "You always did have a weakness for what you deemed the innocent. No one is innocent if they get in the way of what you want."

Marie continued to walk away before turning back and saying almost as an afterthought, "Lucky for you that I'm in a good mood. I'd kill you for your betrayal otherwise. Just know you're not welcome back."

"Wouldn't want to as long as you're there," Dominik snapped.

Marie either didn't hear him or let the comment pass as she continued to walk away and slowly disappeared.

* * *

><p>"Sakura come on. It's late. You need to at least try to rest," Tomoyo pleaded as the girl continued to be despondent as she had been since they found her outside, head buried in her folded arms as leaned on the window seal.<p>

"Sakura…" Tomoyo tried again and looked up at Toya, Kero and Syaoran, all who had tried in vain to get her to talk, cry, do anything beside sit like that, like some comatose state.

"Come on monster. Everything will be okay…"

"Yeah. Yue will be just-."

"Stop it."

Kero's hand froze inches from Sakura's shoulder as she said the first words she had said in a couple of hours.

"Sakura," Toya tried.

"Stop trying to lie to me," Sakura snapped lifting her head up. It was said in anger, but the tone didn't quite match the despair that was on her face. "Yue's not fine. He won't be okay!"

"Sakura you can't just lose hope like that. I'm sure-" Tomoyo began but Sakura cut her off.

"It is hopeless. Marie's sword isn't normal. That sword is death. It doesn't matter what we do. We can't stop it. We can't heal him. Yue's…" Sakura put her head back in her arms as tears began to fall again.

Toya went to try to comfort the girl but she moved away from him.

"Perhaps," Dominik said from the doorway, "perhaps it's best that everyone gives her some time and space."

Everyone looked at him and he continued, "There's no point in trying to make her feel better if she doesn't want to be comforted."

Everyone filed out the room, except Tomoyo who lingered behind, looking at her best friend who was in such despair. Even in her saddest moments, Sakura wasn't usually this cynical, this downhearted or depressed. What was it about this time that was so different? Tomoyo walked out the room and closed the door behind her as she did so. She looked at Dominik who was staring at the closed door pensively. Noticing her stare, Dominik looked at her and then blinked.

"I guess you're wondering why I'm still here. I shouldn't be here. This is partly my fault anyway," Dominik said and started to walk away from the room.

"No. It's not that," Tomoyo replied.

He laughed a little. "I have to admit I'm surprised."

"It's your grandmother's fault if I wanted to blame someone."

"Then what-?"

"What is it that Sakura senses that makes her feel so hopeless?"

Dominik looked at Tomoyo in carefully concealed confusion, an eyebrow raised at her inquiry.

"I don't know much about magic but… She must be aware of something that I can't even begin to understand to make her like this. She's usually always so hopeful and optimistic."

Dominik looked at the door and then back at Tomoyo.

"Can she see the future?"

Tomoyo didn't know what that had to do with what she was asking but said, "In her dreams I guess. But it's not something… I don't think she can control it."

"She will eventually. She'll be able to see entire lives unfold before her eyes with time. But her ability to see the future is what makes her so optimistic. That's how she always knows everything will be okay," Dominik guessed.

"But Sakura's never been able to see the future like that before, and she doesn't like to meddle with magic in that way. She says that it takes the surprise out of life."

"Magic's a very complicated thing," Dominik admitted finally. "Not everyone understands it. Tell me, is the card mistress an empath?"

Tomoyo nodded, "But what's that-?"

"She can sense the emotional atmosphere of the future. She doesn't know exactly what will happen, but she can sense what it will make people feel."

"So you mean Yue's really…"

"It's likely that the card mistress' own will power is the only thing keeping him alive. But that will only last so long," Dominik said sighing. "I didn't want any of this to happen. I-"

Tomoyo put her hand on the man's arm.

"I forgive you and I'm sure Sakura forgives you too."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> I hated this chapter so much I could barely edit it, so excuse any typos. Oh man… I can't believe I did that. I couldn't read it in trying to edit it. I can't even gauge whether I liked it or not properly so it's up to you all. Decide! Love it, hate it, what? In the meantime I've got to get ready to go back to hel1-I mean school Monday… I need to write down my schedule too.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	21. Springing the Trap

**AN: **I started back school today. It wasn't so bad. In fact, it wasn't bad at all. I'm just so happy I took the history class I wanted with the teacher I wanted and didn't worry about whether it was an honors class or not. Forget that. I can't afford to be bored in class because I will fall asleep or write fanfiction or novels on my computer while pretending to take notes. Lol. In any case, I'm back in school which means that I actually have more time since I tend to get more things done when I'm in school.

So to the real business. I got really good responses for the last chapter, even though I was nervous about it. Eventually, I'm going to go back and properly read through it... maybe when I'm high on caffeine during midterms. Thank you for the feedback. It made me feel much better.

This was one of my favorite chapters. Why? Because I had an awesome time writing Sakura who's strangely out of character, but in character at the same time. At least that's what I think. Anyway, I can't spoil it, so notes on this towards the end.

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-one<br>Springing the Trap  
><strong>

"_Why are you staring at me? Who are you?"_

_The woman in black rolled her eyes, a cynical look on her face and the one in white smiled gently at her, something on her face telling Sakura not to be afraid._

_The one in black started to walk away and then the other woman, who Sakura supposed was her sister, took one last glance at Sakura, smiled and then followed._

"_Wait a minute! Come back." Sakura started to chase after them, but found herself being distanced from the two instead._

Sakura slowly regained consciousness, hand reaching forward for the two women who only existed in her dreams. She let her hand fall to rest on the bed. She blinked and then sighed. No. Not just the bed…

She ran her hands through Yue's silky locks of hair and closed her eyes as she breathed in his scent, not wanting to see how pale he had gotten in the last few hours and not wanting to see the waning half moon outside, going out, until in a week or so it wouldn't be there like… Sakura sighed again. She didn't have the energy to cry anymore. She was exhausted and even so, she didn't want to go back to sleep, not when her dreams still plagued her. Who were those two women and why wouldn't they just leave her alone? Sakura groaned. She hadn't had dreams this consistent since her card capturing days.

Sakura closed her eyes anyway. Maybe it would be better this time. Only a few seconds later did she open her eyes, something registering in her head as she shot up in bed. She looked around the room for some paper and pencil. Finding none, she tiptoed out the room to go find some. Then she made her way back into the room and leaned against the side table to draw the two women from her dream. There had always been an uncanny familiarity about them, and she had an idea why. But she needed to be able to look at them for more than a few seconds and drawing them while they were fresh in her mind was the best way to do so.

She bit her lip the more the sketch came to life, but didn't stop to completely look at it until she was done drawing. When she was done, she set the pencil down and inspected the drawing before taking out the two cards they reminded her most of, LIGHT and DARK, to compare it. The two women looked just like the cards, sisters, Sakura guessed. Sister cards… There was no doubt in her mind now. The two were definitely the image of cards, but life and death. Why would she be dreaming of a life and death card? Well they weren't cards yet. This was just their image if she personified the two forces. But still it was too uncanny. Was she meant to encounter this? Was it a warning? Or maybe it was something else… Was it urging her to do something perhaps? Sakura closed her eyes and shook her head.

There was no way. Her dream was in no way telling her that she should create a card, two cards, that would give her mastery over life and death. She just… No one should have the power to access those types of powers. Then again, many would say the forces of nature weren't anything to play with either, yet Sakura had a card for every force of nature and a way to combat them. No wonder the Magic Council was so wary of her, as if two more cards would make a difference. She could take over the world if she wanted as she was, Sakura thought dryly… But she would not create those cards even if…

Sakura frowned and then rolled her eyes. Speak of the devil…

"Midha," Sakura muttered. "What do you want?"

"Not so cheerful today, are you?" she asked.

Sakura didn't feel like mincing words with the woman today. Detecting this, Midha didn't either.

"I told you it would come to this," Midha said bluntly as she looked over to where Yue was. "He doesn't have long. You're powerful, but not that powerful."

"Not yet," Sakura muttered to herself.

"No one can stop death when it comes little girl, and I'd advise you not to try," Midha said and then glanced at what Sakura had drawn. "What's that?"

Sakura put her hand over the drawing and slid it off the table, not answering the question and instead saying, "You put so much effort into making sure I'm in line when Marie's the one causing havoc. You're the council! Why aren't you dealing with her? Why aren't you after her for doing this to Yue?"

Midha huffed. "Don't say I didn't warn you. I told you what would happen."

"You didn't answer my question," Sakura pointed out.

"Marie's not afraid of anyone. That's why. And she isn't afraid to play dirty and the magic council isn't sure how to effectively deal with her yet. She covers her tracks too well," Midha said sitting down.

"You mean she's more powerful than you all."

"Admittedly... Despite your personal feeling on the matter, the council has managed to regulate the affairs of the magical world. If we hadn't, it's likely magic would have died centuries ago and then there was that mess with the Salem Witch Trials in America… The point is either we risk the safety of the entire magical world to fight an already lost battle or let her be, while hoping she doesn't cause too much trouble, which she hasn't in the last few centuries."

"Until now," Sakura pointed out.

"There's still nothing we can do."

"Why?"

"She's been around longer than you. Some of her practices may be frowned upon, but she does have influences. It would be your word against hers, another losing battle," Midha said. "But that's not what I'm here for."

Sakura didn't say anything, only went over to the bed and sat next to Yue with her back turned to Midha.

"You're actually thinking about doing it aren't you? You're thinking about playing with forbidden magic."

Silence. But silence spoke volumes. It echoed in the room and without saying one word, Sakura had already heightened Midha's insecurities about her.

"So what if I am?" Sakura finally asked staring at the picture in her hands.

"You're serious?"

Sakura sighed. "Relax. I didn't say I was."

"But you didn't say you weren't either."

"You couldn't stop me," Sakura said bluntly. "That's why you're so afraid of what I'll do. You're afraid I'll expose your world, a world I don't care to be a part of. But you don't have to worry. I won't do anything I think will endanger your world."

Midha stared at Sakura cautiously, but Sakura was done and for the first time since Yue had been brought in the room, she left and closed the door behind her. When she was sure she didn't sense Midha's presence anymore, Sakura went back in the room, paper still in hand as she closed the door behind her. If the Magic Council couldn't handle it, wouldn't handle it, she'd have to deal with Marie on her own, even if it meant playing right into the woman's hand.

"MIRROR!"

It was an old trick, but one that had certainly improved over the years when she wanted to get away without anyone's notice. MIRROR had certain improved her impression of Sakura personality wise over the years and if one didn't know to look for the odd quirks that MIRROR couldn't quite cover, MIRROR could pull one over on people easily. She'd certainly be able to fool everyone for a few hours, probably since no one would be in to check on her until well after the sun rose.

"I'll be back soon MIRROR. Do you mind?"

MIRROR shook her head and Sakura smiled a little. Even after all these years, seeing MIRROR posing as herself was still uncanny as ever.

"Thanks," Sakura said to her. "If anyone happens to figure, I'll be back soon."

MIRROR nodded as Sakura called FLY and flew out the window. It would be at least a while before anyone noticed she was gone and by then… well, she would see.

* * *

><p>Marie couldn't help but be surprised and she was rarely surprised by anything, but the card mistress had never seized doing so since she had begun her pursuit of her. She hadn't expected the girl to come to her. What Marie had been expecting was for the girl to do something recklessly foolish and then take advantage of the situation. The girl standing in front of her waiting patiently for her to get over her surprise was not part of the plan. She raised an eyebrow.<p>

"Come for revenge?" she asked lightly.

Sakura sighed. She didn't have the energy to be mad, sad or anything anymore. Whatever she felt had all mixed together into a desperate mess, so desperate she was willing to get help from the person that had caused all this in the first place. She couldn't believe she was doing this but…

"How about you and I make a deal?" Sakura said to the woman sitting at the table across from her outside the expensive café.

Marie raised an eyebrow. "And what spurred this on?"

"Don't get me wrong," Sakura said trying to control her anger at the woman. "We're still enemies, but the fact of the matter is since the council won't do anything to help me, I need your help to undo what you've done and leave me alone."

Marie looked at her with a steely expression, and Sakura cringed a little. She wasn't very good at these kinds of things. Making deals meant careful wording and thinking about what she said before she said it, and tact wasn't exactly a quality she was known for. This was more Yue's arena.

"What I'm saying…" Sakura trailed off, starting to dart her eyes anywhere but Marie's face. She resisted the urge though. Her nervousness would no doubt only amuse the woman. She was amused as it was. So Sakura cast her nervousness aside and said, "You want to live forever."

Any amusement she had sensed from the woman left. "I'm listening."

"The council's afraid of me and because they're afraid of you they'll leave you alone, but they won't do the same for me. I won't get anywhere with them breathing down my back. But I'm sure they wouldn't dare randomly intrude in on you," Sakura said.

Marie said nothing, but she didn't need to. It was too good a chance to pass up. It wasn't like Sakura had gone off somewhere to go on this endeavor to figure out how to cheat death and she had to fight her for it. Sakura was offering it to her on a silver platter.

"And you've figured out at way, a way to cheat death?"

"I've always had the way," Sakura admitted as she put a hand over the sheet of paper she had stuck in her pocket. "I just…"

Sakura clenched her fist. Getting angry at Marie wasn't going to help. She needed her for this.

"So you save the guardian and I… what exactly am I getting?"

"Immortality, as long as you promise never to bother me or anyone close to me again," Sakura said to her.

"But whether or not you can actually accomplish such a feat remains to be seen. You've never dabbled in this kind of magic before."

"That's why I'm asking you for help," Sakura admitted. If she thought she could do it on her own without going to Marie, she honestly would have. But who else was she going to go to and ask about death.

Marie laughed. "I think this partnership might just work out even better than I had hoped."

* * *

><p>Marie had an extensive library, and it was something like the library Sakura imagined she would have in a few years at the rates Eriol gave her books and that she studied magic in her free time. But it wasn't exactly what she imagined hers would <em>be<em> like. There was something inherently cold about Marie's library, and Sakura knew it continued a lot of knowledge about darker magic. There was something about books on magic that radiated a certain aura, so much so that anyone with even a little magic could feel the darkness in the room. But she wasn't intimidated as she began to search the library for books to take with her. She didn't have time to be intimidated. It was only a matter of time before someone figured out MIRROR had taken her place. And it wasn't as if Sakura hadn't dabbled in dark magic before. She had when she was trying to study a way to separate Yue and Yukito. It had been the delicate business of messing with souls, and that was considered a somewhat acceptable form of dark magic.

The stuff in these books was different, Sakura thought to herself again as she read through the books in the seclusion of the room. No one would bother her. Even Kero knew when she needed her space and while she felt a little guilty for deceiving everyone it worked out. She sighed as she finally put her last book aside. She had learned more about life and death than she cared to know in the last few days. She had lost count of the days, but she thought it was three, maybe four. The concept for creating the two cards was the same as the rest. It was essentially personifying the force and then binding it permanently to an object, the objects in this case being a tarot card. A combination of western and eastern magic.

The problem was that there were hundreds of things that could go wrong when dealing with life and death. The knowledge being so forbidden wasn't just an issue of ethics. It was because people had tried and the results had been nothing short of catastrophe, the black plague of Europe being the biggest and if something did go wrong, at best she would die. But over the years she had learned there were things worse than death. Living a like without love was one of them…

At that thought Sakura went over to Yue's side and curled up next to him, resting her head in the crook of his neck, trying to ignore how he seemed to get colder and colder by the day and the symbolism of this didn't escape Sakura. She read too much about magic for that. It was like Yue disappearing into darkness like the waning moon, gradually. How fitting…

She sighed after a while and got up, starting go back to the books. She stopped though as it occurred to her that there was nothing else to study. She had the gist of it. Now she was just procrastinating. There was nothing stopping her from trying this now except she wasn't sure about this card thing. Life and death were not the two cards she wanted to be experimenting on when she created a card because that had its own complications and repercussions. With that in mind she called MIRROR again and promised herself that when this was over, she'd find some way to repay the card. Sakura could tell the girl was worried about exactly what she was doing.

"You look tired," MIRROR said tilted her head.

Sakura looked at her, MIRROR standing as the perfect copy of herself. She always found it weird to talk to her when she wasn't in her true guise.

"I'm fine MIRROR. I promise when I'm done, I'll rest. I've got the rest of summer," Sakura replied.

MIRROR frowned, obviously not convinced, but shrugged anyway.

"Hey," Sakura said as she summoned FLY. "I was thinking that when all this is over, I'd be able to talk Toya into spending the day with you."

MIRROR's eyes brightened at the thought. Sakura smiled suggesting the idea served two purposes. It was a way she could repay the card, for Sakura was very aware MIRROR was fond of her brother, and it took MIRROR's mind away from her worry for Sakura.

When MIRROR nodded enthusiastically, Sakura smiled and flew out the window to the glamorous extended stay hotel Marie was staying in. Sakura hadn't asked, but it seemed like Marie was quite famous or known for something outside the magical community, but Sakura wasn't curious enough to ask the woman what it was. If she did that, it would be like she was getting friendly with the woman. This whole arrangement was just a means to an end.

"I wasn't expecting you card mistress," Marie said after a servant showed Sakura to the presidential suite she was staying in.

Sakura wasn't a very material person, but she did like nice things. Even after coming to see Marie here the last few days, she couldn't get over the luxuriousness of the suite. Sakura turned her attention from the elaborate marble kitchen counters to look at Marie who was dressed in her long orange-red dresses and robes.

"I'm ready," Sakura said getting straight to the point.

Marie raised her eyebrow. "Oh," she said and then added, "Already?"

Sakura shrugged. "There wasn't much to figure out. Life and death are two sides of a coin and death is always following close behind life, but life always manages to stay a step ahead of death. That's the balance. Simple enough."

"Why do I have a feeling there's something else you want to do?" Marie asked.

"I've never created a card before."

"First time for everything."

"And I don't want my first time to be on life and death. There are already enough things that can go wrong with that as it is. I at least want to know that I know how to create a card," Sakura replied.

Marie only hummed as she summoned a cup of tea to her hand. She seemed to contemplate this as she took a small sip. If Sakura had to guess, she'd say that Marie was involved in some kind of business work. The woman acted like a business woman, and she had the coldness that was needed for that line of work.

Marie sat her cup down.

"Reasonable," she said. "What do you need?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> So this was one of those chapters that could have taken the story in two different directions and ultimately, I decided I like this direction better than my other ideas. Why? Because I figured Sakura may be the very type of person to willingly and knowingly walk into someone's trap and hope that it works out. Well, that's what I'd do anyway. Except I'd have a plan to flip the trap my way anyway, and that only works because I'm good at predicting what people will do, and that's because I write so much where I have to figure out what people will do that will make sense.

Off topic again. In any case, my idea for this was to sort of have Sakura kind of teetering on the edge of what I guess you can call the 'dark side.' Not so much teetering, but I noticed, and a keen reader will notice too, that Sakura's thoughts stray toward a dark direction every now and then until she stops herself. Actually, I have an alternate universe fic with that idea. Well it's not AU. It's kind of like this, a continuation fic (not set in the universe of this current fic though) where somehow (I haven't figured out how), Sakura travels to the future of a parallel universe that's, for lack of a better term, pretty dark. But I will not write it yet. Nope. I have a star wars fic to finish after this.

Anyway, yes. I know it's almost the end of the day. But it was school's fault! That and I had to clean the kitchen since my sister cooked because I'm taking a later class. So I'm off to go start editing the next chapter because I have to literally rewrite an entire scene. But I knew I would probably rewrite it anyway.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	22. GLAMOUR

**AN: **So I made it through the first week of school and I have a feeling this will be a good semester if I just put half as much time into school as I do my writing. But thankfully my major is English. Speaking of school, I understand late reviews because we're trying to get back adjusted to going to school every day. So no need to explain. As soon as you say school, that's all I need to know.

Anywho, this was one of those chapters I just knew I was going to come back and rewrite eventually. I did end up rewriting it. The interaction between Marie and Sakura actually came out kind of funny, but I think it's okay because after the next chapter which is also a light chapter, everything is pretty dreary. So with that said,

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-two<br>GLAMOUR**

Sakura felt very insignificant standing next to Marie. If she didn't know how malicious and ambitious the woman was, she'd admire the European woman just looking at her. She wondered if all magicians had some sort of fetish with elaborate outfits. Sure she wore costumes every now and then, but that was because Tomoyo designed them for her. Not because she really requested it, or had a fetish for them… She did like hats though. It was why Tomoyo made headgear with nearly all her costumes when she was younger.

"Would you like to inform me what a manga convention has to do with making a card, card mistress?" Marie asked impatiently as they made their way through the crowd in the convention center.

"Cosplay," Sakura said simply.

"Pardon?"

"The cards are just a personification of the essence or force they represent. With things like water and fire, it's a simple matter of finding a lot of it and compiling its energy. Things like say the SMALL… It's a little more complicated. I have to find certain kinds of magical energies in a certain environment."

"So you're making a Costume card?" Marie asked.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "GLAMOUR!"

"Hm… Then let's get this over with. I find this to be a pointless waste of my time," Marie said. "You really didn't need me here anyway. You could have done this on your own."

Sakura ignored Marie's attitude. For all her manipulation, the woman was impatient and things that appeared to be a waste of time or that she thought was above her got on her nerve. Because of that, Sakura neglected to point out that they actually fit in quite well with the cosplay with Marie's elaborate dress, and Sakura carrying her staff.

"Now I need somewhere to perform the spell," Sakura said. "Somewhere no one will see."

"No you don't," Marie said.

"Of course I do. Someone will see," Sakura said.

"Then you look no different than the hundred other people mimicking these ridiculous and pointless spells, and transformation sequences."

Sakura didn't miss the condescending tone, but she ignored it in favor of looking around and the sweat dropping at some of the ridiculous things others were doing as they tried to mimic their favorite manga and cartoons. Marie had a point.

"Get to it already," Marie said after a while.

Sakura clutched her staff to her, suddenly feeling self conscious with all the people around. She had never done magic in such a crowded place as this.

"It feels weird."

Marie made a sound that gave away her growing impatience, causing Sakura to bite her lip and then let out a deep breath as she closed her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Marie asked.

"Personifying this energy," Sakura said.

Marie huffed, muttering something about not believing she needed or even wanted Sakura's help. Sakura would have rolled her eyes if her eyes were open. At least the two agreed on something.

Still, it was hard not to feel inferior to Marie when she acted like this. But Sakura had a feeling the woman was feeling pretty inferior herself, that Clow had essentially trusted the secret of the Clow cards to what Marie (and the entire magical world) deemed to be a little girl who barely had a grasp on her powers. Not that Sakura had known the secret consciously. She had been trying to figure it out for years actually and had only recently set her mind to actively trying to remake the cards.

Sakura tilted her head a little, eyebrows furrowing in concentration as she tried to ignore Marie's doubt.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Marie asked.

"That's what I'm trying to find out, isn't it?" Sakura asked and then focused on trying to grasp and gather the various energies in the room, the energy that came with dressing up or hiding behind the mask of another.

The staff glowed and the wings lengthened as magic burst from the staff and helped to gather the energies Sakura had managed to lock onto. Purple shimmer gathered in front of her, magical energy coming together to create a new being, a spirit.

Sakura snapped her eyes open and found herself face to face with what appeared to be a girl, about Sakura's age, with long purple hair, pale skin and purple eyes and she was dressed in the get up of a popular manga, _Tokyo MewMew_ Sakura believed.

The spirit looked around in confusion and then looked down at its outfit. It scowled, apparently not thinking much of the frills and decorative wings on her back. She looked around, her eyes falling on the cardboard cutout of a _Pokemon_ character. Purple shimmers rained down on her and her appearance changed to not only mimic the character's outfit, but hairstyle as well so that she now looked like a boy.

Sakura tried mightily not to laugh at the spirit, but in the end couldn't help but to do so. It looked so silly.

Seeming to realize it had an audience, the spirit looked at Marie, and then Sakura before eying the staff in her hands. It stepped back.

"Wait. It's okay," Sakura said trying to stop laughing. It probably would have been easier to trap it if she hadn't alerted the spirit to her presence, for it had been ignoring her before, even though she had been standing directly in front of it.

Instead of waiting though, the spirit shook its head, appearance altering again, but this time into that of a teenage boy, an athletic looking one, as it sprinted off.

"Wait a minute!" Sakura yelled chasing after it, trying not to lose the spirit in the crowd. "Where are you going?"

The spirit looked back, laughed, and then ran out the convention. Sakura followed, but found the spirit was nowhere to be found outside.

"Oh no! Where'd it go?" Sakura asked.

"You're too passive. You should have just forced her to you."

"I'm not going to hurt it. Besides, it was only playing. That's why it was laughing," Sakura said sighing. She had dealt with playful spirits before in the form of the cards and even unknowingly encountered a ghost once.

Marie didn't look amused though. In fact, she was looking less and less impressed by the minute.

"It couldn't have gotten far, and it definitely didn't disappear. It's going to take a while for that kind of gathering of magical energy to destabilize. We just have to force it into its true form," Sakura said tapping her chin with her finger. "I hate calling it 'it', but I don't think this spirit has a particular gender… It made a pretty convincing boy and girl."

Marie sighed as the two began to walk down the street trying to find the elusive spirit. Sakura was reminded very much of her card capturing days as they did so. Walking around, searching for the mischievous creatures, looking for their trademarks and any mark of their mishaps… Sakura smiled wistfully. Her life was much simpler back then and magic wasn't so complicated. The only magic she knew then was the cards, and she had been content with that. The only thing missing now was Tomoyo with her camera, Kero cheering her on, and Meiling and Syaoran tagging along to help if they could. But if she told them what she was up too…

"I bet it's like MIRROR," Sakura said more to herself than to Marie although she was sure the woman was listening. "I bet we'll have to force it to its true form before I can seal-"

Both Sakura and Marie stopped and looked at the market place outdoor café. They exchanged a glance before entering the premises to look for the playful spirit.

"Where could it have gone," Sakura asked herself as she pretended to inspect the buffet while keeping a lookout for the spirit. She ran into someone else inspecting the buffet.

"Oh," Sakura said jumping back. "Sorry…"

She stared after the woman who simply continued to inspect the bar, shrugged, and then began to leave. Sakura too shrugged and turned back to the buffet only to stop and look back at the woman who had black hair and purple eyes.

"Wait," she said turning to go after her to which the woman turned and grinned before taking off, but Sakura was right on her heels this time, as the spirit led her to a small park near the café.

The spirit was openly laughing now, this time disguising itself as a preteen girl, hair done up in pigtails. It then grabbed a tree and hoisted itself up causing Sakura to run right past. It let go of the branch while laughing at Sakura who, unable to stop her momentum quickly enough, fell forward into the ground. Sakura groaned as the spirit turned around, getting set to take off again only to run into an annoyed Marie.

"I think that's enough," she said and with a flick of her hand tossed the spirit into a tree, which forced it into its true form, that of a child around eleven with long loose purple hair, purple eyes, and a pale purple kimono.

"Marie!" Sakura said after she had gained her bearings again, and she rushed to the spirit.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked helping the dazed spirit sit up.

The spirit looked at Sakura and then gasped as Marie approached. It hid behind Sakura.

"See what you did? You scared it?" Sakura said trying to coax the card out from behind her.

"And you've also subdued it, meaning you can do whatever you need to seal it," Marie replied. "Have I taught you nothing these past few months?"

"If you call attacking me and killing Yue teaching me," Sakura snapped.

Marie shrugged. "One day you'll thank me."

Sakura groaned as she turned back to the spirit who was laughing at her and Marie, but stopped as soon as she felt Marie's gaze on her. It latched onto Sakura's arm and whimpered.

"There, there," Sakura said to it. "Everything's fine. You can go if you feel the need to."

The spirit looked at Sakura for a moment and then pulled on a lock of Sakura's hair. It frowned as it walked around Sakura and then snapped its finger. Sakura blinked and looked down at her shirt. Apparently, it thought she looked better in yellow as her shirt was no longer orange but yellow.

Sakura laughed. "You'd definitely get along with Tomoyo. If you come with me, I can let you meet her. She likes to make costumes and clothes too."

The spirit jumped up and down at the prospect of doing such a thing and then hugged Sakura around the neck. It glared and narrowed its eyes at Marie, who only looked incredibly impatient with the approach Sakura was taking to gain the spirit's trust.

"Alright then," Sakura said taking out the blank tarot card she had with her and tossing it in the air above the spirit, that action and the twirling of the staff invoking it with some of her magic.

The wind picked up and Sakura closed her eyes, going back to her cardcaptoring days where she hadn't known exactly what to say, but somehow knew the words anyway.

"Attach yourself to the item I've selected you to be hosted in under the name GLAMOUR!" Sakura said wind picking up around her as she the card glowed and the spirit beneath it glowed before turning into purple swirls and starting to get sucked into the card. But this was the easy part. The hard part was actually getting the sprit to be sealed and permanently bound to the card. When the spirit was completely contained by the card, Sakura pointed her staff at it, "GLAMOUR I enter into a binding contract and seal you under the name of your master, Sakura! Seal!"

The card glowed pale pink, the sign that her magic was binding itself onto the seal of the card and therefore binding the card to Sakura, just like the other cards. The wind picked up again briefly and Sakura nearly lost grip of her staff as the spirit was finally sealed permanently to its new form and then floated over to Sakura, not at all budging in the gust around them. Sakura grabbed it out the air, the taking possession of it being the official finalizing of the seal that bound the spirit to the card.

She fell to her knees. It was certainly more draining than she had originally thought it would be. But she had done it. Or at least, she thought she had done it. She looked down to really inspect the card in her hand. It certainly looked like the other cards; the same seal on the back, the name of the card in bold print and beneath it her name.

"Didn't look so hard," Marie said taking the card from the girl. "I could have done that."

"Then you're welcome to seal a life and death card by yourself," Sakura replied still trying to regain her bearings.

Marie dropped the card carelessly in front of Sakura asking, "Does it even work?"

Sakura picked the card up from where Marie had dropped it. In theory, it should work and the magic seemed stable. She threw the card into the air. Only one way to find out…

"GLAMOUR! Make me into-"

"Something more appropriate for a sorceress of your esteem would work," Marie said eying the simple jeans and top she had on.

Sakura sighed. "GLAMOUR! Use your magic to dress me in and outfit fit for a sorceress!"

Purple shimmers rained down on Sakura as a result of the card and Sakura could sense the delight of the card as it worked its magic. It would definitely get along with Tomoyo. When it was done, it settled back in Sakura's hand as a card, but the result of its magic remained. Tomoyo would probably have called it the chic and stylish sorceress. In fact, Sakura could have easily worn the outfit anywhere, unlike Marie who didn't seem to feel the need to blend in. Then again, she seemed to have some secret front for a personal life that made it acceptable.

"Better?" Sakura asked.

"Remotely," was Marie's response as she looked at the dark fuchsia outfit with layered skirts and ribbons coming from the back, a high neck sleeveless top, vest, and long fingerless gloves to match.

Sakura scowled. Who cared what Marie thought anyway? When all this was said and done, the two would be going their separate ways, and they wouldn't have to worry about one another ever again, or at least, that's what Sakura was hoping for.

"So now that you've proven to yourself that it can be done, exactly how are we going to summon life and death. Surely that won't be as easy as your costume card."

Sakura didn't even bother to correct the woman on the name of the card. "It won't. But it's the same concept. I just need some time to recover a little," Sakura said.

"How long?"

"I don't know. I've never done anything this magically draining before. GLAMOUR didn't really fight me. But I expect life and death put up a bit more of a fight. It's not going to be as easy," Sakura replied and then said, "Give me until late tonight. Sealing one card was draining enough. But two more…"

"You can't seal one at a time?"

Sakura shook her head. "Life and death are always together. To conquer one you have to conquer the other…."

Sakura averted her gaze from Marie, which told the woman enough.

"You don't think you can pull it off do you?"

"Of course I can," Sakura said quickly, a little too quickly. "I just need to rest is all. I'll be fine late this evening. You just be ready for it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Writing GLAMOUR was interesting and I when I was writing this, me and my sister were actually having a good time laughing at some cosplay images so I thought, why not, because GLAMOUR is more than just glamorizing and dressing people up, and we learn more about how that works later. As for sealing the cards? It took me forever to come up with that. Notice that I don't use a lot of spell words? Why? Because I suck at anything that's even remotely like poetry, and I'm just not that dramatic. Lol

So this is chapter twenty-two right? I think this is going to have twenty-nine chapters because I only have like two scenes left to actually write. That leaves seven more chapters to post? Hm… That means I'll be done posting in a month. So get ready. We learn a lot about quite a few things in the next chapters as I attempt to wrap this up, things that I refrained from answering and purposefully left out wither because I didn't know or just the flow of the story. Things about life and death, the council. magic, whole nine yards. Until then...

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	23. Life and Death

**AN: **I don't know how this chapter came out the way it did because it keeps teetering on the line of dark and light until finally it settles on dark and serious in the end. Well, actually it's just one little scene with GLAMOUR in it that. But I'll talk about that in the end.

And I forgot to mention this in the last chapter but I made it to 100 reviews! That's wonderful and I'm glad for all the feedback and good reception this has gotten.

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-three<br>Life and Death**

Sakura left later that evening, again using MIRROR to help fool everyone else in the house and informing the girl to poke her head out every now and then just so no one came poking around. But MIRROR was worried about her mistress, and though Sakura had obviously intended for MIRROR not to blow her cover, MIRROR was seriously thinking about doing so. It obviously had something to do with Yue. MIRROR sighed. He was fading more and more everyday and it was certainly taking its toll on her mistress although she tried to hide it, not to mention she had been so preoccupied lately…

MIRROR went over to the closet and took out the book she had _borrowed_ from her mistress. As soon as she touched it, she realized there was something dark about it, and not in a good way. DARK's power was the power to control the dark, but this book was a different kind of dark. MIRROR looked through it and frowned. This kind of magic was dangerous and although Sakura had given her specific instructions, she was tempted to break them. Of course, she spoke to the rest of the cards first. WINDY had been in favor of at least telling Cerberus about it. But SHADOW pointed out that if their mistress was up to something, Cerberus couldn't easily change her mind. That's what they usually went to Yue for. LIGHT and DARK however, seemed to have the utmost confidence that Sakura knew what she was doing, but they also seemed to know something else they wouldn't indulge to the cards. For the most part though, the cards were split pretty evenly on what to do. That was until the appearance of a newcomer, GLAMOUR, a young girl. Actually they weren't sure GLAMOUR was a boy or a girl actually, but she seemed to like to disguise herself in the manner of a girl most often. She seemed to be a little eccentric, but apparently she knew more about what was going on than any of them did, since GLAMOUR had apparently eavesdropped on their mistress, something the other cards except maybe MIRROR and WINDY, were too respectful to do. But they'd school the girl on manners later.

GLAMOUR proceeded to yap on about how much she liked Sakura and that she didn't mind serving this sorceress, but if it had been that other sorceress who sealed her, she wouldn't have been happy.

"Other sorceress?" SNOW asked, raising her eyebrow in a way similar to the way Yue might have.

"Yeah. I think her name was Marie, and she was so mean to me. I was just playing," GLAMOUR crossed her arms and pouted.

"Perfect," FIREY said crossing his arms. "Another of you eccentric spirits. Chill out."

"You're one to talk! You're a fire spirit!" GLAMOUR whined.

FIREY smirked. "Cry baby."

"I am not!"

"GLAMOUR!" WATERY snapped. "Did they say anything else?"

GLAMOUR rolled her eyes. "You water spirits are always in such a rush. I was getting to it," she said, now seeming to enjoy annoying the other cards.

"GLAMOUR, please," WINDY said softly.

The girl sighed. "Yeah. Something about meeting tonight. I think it was about more cards, a life and death. I sure hope not. A death spirit is fine. But life… Ugh. Those spirits are so…"

The cards ignored the rest of her rant and because MIRROR was in the best position to do something, she had been elected to tell someone. They decided Kaho was a good balance between Cerberus and Eriol. But it still made MIRROR uncomfortable, even as she looked through the book, knowing what kind of dangerous magic this would be for their mistress.

She sighed, put it under her arm, and made her way out the room, muttering a silent apology to her mistress. She found Kaho in the kitchen making what looked like a pie. It smelled nice.

"Sakura," Kaho said looking up with a gentle smile. "I was just going to come up to get you. I thought you could use a pie. You like cherries a lot, right?"

MIRROR shook her head and nearly turned back to go in the room then and there.

"Sakura?" Kaho asked after MIRROR was silent for a while, looking down at the floor.

MIRROR smiled a little. A couple of years ago, Kaho would have seen right through her disguise. It was a testament to how good at acting MIRROR had gotten having helped Sakura before and a testament to her mistress' power.

MIRROR finally shook her head again and looked up relaxing her demeanor a little, so she didn't seem so much like Sakura. Kaho made a small 'o' shape with her mouth and then said, "MIRROR?"

MIRROR nodded.

"Where's Sakura?"

MIRROR simply put the book on the counter and slid it across to so that it was in front of Kaho. Kaho only took one glance at it and then looked at MIRROR.

"Where'd you get this?"

MIRROR sighed. "The mistress got it from Marie…"

It was enough said. Kaho grabbed the book, walked around the counter to grab MIRROR's hand, and went to find Eriol.

* * *

><p>Marie raised her eyebrows as she watched Sakura light the incenses and turn off all the lights in the suite, using the glow card to illuminate the area.<p>

"What is this eastern magic?" Marie asked touching the little lights of the glow.

"Makes it easier to collect and attract the energies associated with life," Sakura replied.

"What energies?"

Sakura looked at Marie with a dry expression. "You didn't read any of your books very thoroughly did you?"

Marie didn't have to answer that one. Sakura knew the woman hadn't. If she had, Sakura had a feeling that Marie could have done all this years ago or maybe not. Marie was bold and ambitious, but not reckless. She would never do something so daring and risky.

"Life's everywhere. I can go anywhere to collect that kind of energy, even in this room with just you and me," Sakura informed.

"You keep talking about life. What about death?"

Sakura sighed. And Marie talked about her… "Wherever life goes, death always follows."

"Then theoretically, the death energies will collect on their own," Marie replied.

"For someone who's been looking for a way to be immortal for centuries, it would seem like you'd know all this," Sakura said reading through the information one more time.

"What was the point? I needed someone unintelligent enough to be tricked into helping me do it anyway."

A few days ago, Sakura might have been offended. But after a few days with the woman, Sakura had learned that her condescending remarks were just Marie's way of saving her own pride. Marie's tone didn't say it, but Sakura could sense that on one hand Marie was impressed and surprised by her intuition when it came to magic. On the other hand, Marie was threatened and intimidated by it and as a result, her envy was so apparent to Sakura that it was almost tangible.

Sometimes it surprised Sakura too, how natural and easy magic came to her sometimes. She didn't want to grow too dependent on it, but more and more she realized it was inevitable. It had become increasingly harder over the years to separate her magic life from her normal life and slowly but surely, magic was becoming her normal life. It used to be that she had to force herself away from school or cheer practice or shopping to deal with some magical threat. Now she sometimes had to force herself away from practicing magic to keep appearances. She was starting to understand why Clow spent his time in a large house all day.

"It's a waste of talent, you know," Marie said sitting on the couch, snapping Sakura out her thoughts.

"What's a waste of talent?"

"Your mundane life. You can have whatever you want, with no one's help, and yet you choose not to. Why?"

"Magic is so easy," Sakura replied. "Sometimes too easy, and you miss the satisfaction that comes with working hard for something. That's why I choose not to."

"So you're saying you enjoy the hard times."

"No. But they make the good times better," Sakura said with a small smile.

Marie, unsurprisingly, scoffed. "You say that now, but you'll change your mind. You're already starting to. Not as easy to let go of that moon guardian as you thought it would be huh? Or maybe you had become disillusioned. The unshakeable protector…"

Sakura scowled as she closed her book and summoned her staff, trying to ignore Marie. But Marie continued to talk.

"And look at you. What happens when your friends start to grow old and you, you'll stay the same, not aging for centuries, not changing as the world changes around you? Will it be so easy to accept death then?"

"Good thing you talked me into creating this card then huh?" Sakura muttered, mostly in sarcasm, but part of her was beginning to see Marie's point.

Marie only smiled a little, raising her eyebrows briefly, her point made. Then she stood up and went to stand next to Sakura who was about to begin, until she sensed something. She held her staff at her side.

"MIRROR…" Sakura said sighing. She should have known the card would tell. She had been worried about her all week.

"What?"

"They're here to stop me," Sakura said looking at Marie.

"I'll stall them," Marie said sweeping up her robes as she headed out the suite.

Sakura shook her head. "I have a better idea…"

Sakura sighed as she took out three cards and muttered, "I'm really, really sorry about this."

With that said she spun her staff and called out, "MAZE, ILLUSION, GLAMOUR!"

* * *

><p>MIRROR noticed it as they were on the elevator heading to the presidential suite, long before anyone else did.<p>

"We shouldn't have all come," she said to the group; Eriol, Kaho, Cerberus, Meiling, Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Dominik.

"What are you talking about?"

"She senses us," MIRROR replied as the elevator stopped and opened to the hallway of the floor suite. "I don't think we should…"

But everyone was already filing off the elevator. MIRROR sighed and followed. As soon as she stepped out she turned around to go back in the elevator, but it abruptly closed, faster than a normal elevator should and then disappeared.

"Cerberus!" MIRROR said. "Look!"

By then everyone seemed to realize that the reality around them was warping and turned to go back into the elevator. It was too late though and not even Eriol, the most powerful amongst them, could stop the power of MAZE and ILLUSION.

Meiling groaned. "When we get out of here, I'm going to kill Sakura. What is she thinking?" she yelled.

"Marie only figured out her weakness," Syaoran said. "That's what she's been counting on from the beginning. It was all just a game for her. And Sakura knows it's a game."

"Well if she knows that, why in the world would she-"

"This wouldn't be the first time Sakura willing played right into someone's hands," Kaho said softly.

"Still," Kero grumbled shifting into his true form, "This goes way beyond anything she's ever done."

"Don't be mad at my mistress. It will all work out. You'll see," MIRROR said softly.

"MIRROR's right," Tomoyo added. "Let's worry about what we'll do when we cross that bridge. Right now how in the world are we going to get to her? This is the MAZE right?"

"And ILLUSION," MIRROR replied.

Syaoran turned to say something to MIRROR, but stopped, a groan escaping him.

"Can't you take some other form? It's weird seeing you as Sakura, but knowing you're not," he said.

MIRROR shook her head, brown locks slapping her face.

"I've already disobeyed one order. I'm not doing it again," she said.

"Eriol," Syaoran said.

Eriol shrugged. "The cards have a very twisted sense of logic sometimes, and I can't tell you whether or not Clow created them to be that way. If it's to help Sakura, it's not disobeying. It's following their mandate which is to protect her. It's a complicated code amongst the cards, and I won't even pretend I understand it."

"We'll never get anywhere standing here," Dominik pointed out. "We should get moving."

"We'll never get anywhere even if we move," Cerberus said. "It's almost impossible to get out of MAZE alone, let alone when in conjunction with ILLUS-What was that?"

The group turned to look at someone who had just gone around the corner, the glimmer of the bottom part of Sakura's staff just disappearing before they got a glimpse.

"It's Sakura," Meiling said.

"Follow her," Syaoran said.

"Wait, that's not Sakura," MIRROR said and then sighed as they went anyway, the only ones sticking behind being Eriol and Kaho.

"That's not Sakura?" Eriol asked. Even for him it was hard to tell, because Sakura's magical signature seemed to be everywhere at once. He was just as blind as the rest of them. "It's an illusion then?"

MIRROR sighed. "Something like that," she said following where everyone else had gone.

They ended up in a large circular area, with steps leading into different halls, not that they could see where they led, for ILLUSION was masking the way. Someone giggled.

"Does she always act this way," Dominik said in frustration. "I never got the impression that she does."

"Sakura get out here right now!" Meiling said. "When you do, you and I are going to have a long talk about-"

The giggles continued, harder this time until it turned into full blow laughter.

"Honestly," MIRROR said running a hand through her hair. "That girl is too playful for her own good."

"What are you talking about?" Cerberus asked.

"GLAMOUR, you can stop playing now. I know it's you," MIRROR said.

"GLAMOUR?" everyone asked as purple shimmers appeared in front of MIRROR and then solidified into a girl that looked a little like Sakura or was dressed like her anyway. Her pale, almost gray, skin, purple hair and purple eyes gave her away.

"Oh man! MIRROR. You're so mean."

"GLAMOUR," MIRROR said sighing. "It wasn't hard. You weren't made to actually take people's forms, just to disguise other people. Now tell us, where's our mistress?"

GLAMOUR shrugged. "I'm just as lost as you all are. I was just supposed to be here to throw you all off. So how do my props and costumes look? The staff looks just like the mistress', right?"

No one answered her, everyone except MIRROR rightfully dumbfounded at the new card's appearance. It was Meiling who spoke up first.

"When did Sakura get this card?" she asked. "I don't remember there being a GLAMOUR card."

"There wasn't," Eriol replied managing to smile a little. "It must have been recent."

"I don't know, but I'm so jealous," Tomoyo said. "How did you come up with that design?"

"You must be Tomoyo. Mistress Sakura says we'll get along great," GLAMOUR said.

"That's all nice and dandy," Dominik said. "But we're supposed to be looking for the card mistress."

"Why look?" GLAMOUR asked. "This is only to give Sakura enough time to personify life and death. She even said that she won't be able to power MAZE and ILLUSION for long when she does that. In fact, this whole puzzle will collapse. So why rush?"

Tomoyo couldn't help it anymore. She started to laugh, causing everyone to look at her in concern as she doubled over.

"I'm sorry," she said. "But she's just so funny. Only Sakura could create a card with that much personality and so bubbly too."

"Who's sign are you under anyway?" Cerberus asked.

GLAMOUR shrugged again, but Eriol replied, "It's Yue's of course. She's related to ILLUSION and MIRROR in a way."

Syaoran snickered. "That's too funny."

Dominik, who seemed to have inherited his grandmother's famed lack of a sense of humor, only rolled his eyes.

"Come on Dominik. Lighten up some," Tomoyo said to him. Even Kaho and Eriol found the new card amusing.

Domink relaxed a little, but he still didn't find the humor in the situation. This was a serious matter, and he started to point that out until they all felt it, even Tomoyo who lacked magic, a shift in the atmosphere, a shift in the magic.

"See," GLAMOUR said clapping her hands together. "I told you it would only be… Oh… See you later. It was nice meeting you!"

GLAMOUR disappeared in a purple shimmers and wind picked up around MIRROR as she too was forced back into her card form. Likewise, so were ILLUSION and MAZE. As the power of the four cards resealed, the maze melted away and they were back in the hallway of the last floor or the presidential suite.

"GLAMOUR was right," Syaoran said and then blinked. "GLAMOUR was right!"

They all rushed to the door that led to the main suite. Dominik wasted no time knocking on the door and simply used magic to unlock the door and burst into the room.

It was in complete disarray. The coffee table was completely broken, and couch had toppled over backwards. All the cabinetry was open and anything in the room made of glass was cracked or practically shattered. The curtains had fallen and the crystal chandelier had crashed to the ground. But the most noticeable things were the two beings stand side by side, one in black and one in white, with cloaks on. They were obviously spirits. If no one knew any better, they would have thought they were the LIGHT and DARK card.

The one in black looked around, looking neutral as she took everything in. Then she looked at her hand in what had to be awe and curiosity. After inspecting her new body, she looked around, taking in everyone in the room. Finally, she spoke.

"Hm," she said. "Which one of you was bold enough, let alone powerful enough, to personify me into this form?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Ironically, I called this chapter life and death but they don't make an appearance until the end, but it's actually named for the conversation Marie and Sakura have.

The scene with the cards came to me on a whim when I was trying to figure out how everyone else would get wind of the entire situation. I figured it would be MIRROR, but I didn't think it was a decision she'd take upon herself, and thus the scene with the interaction of the cards was born.

I also almost took out the scene with GLAMOUR, but decided I wanted to see what everyone else was doing and find out a little more about her. As I read back through it I realized that it served more purpose that I thought it did because not only did it show the novelty of a new card in existence but also the novelty of the card itself in the sense that I made GLAMOUR to have a very mischievous and playful personality which is more or less a reflection of her power.

In any case, I know I just left the mother of all cliffhangers, but this chapter hasn't had a really good cliffhanger unless you count chapter where Midha revealed to Sakura what she thought Marie's plan was. So I tell you all what? **Six reviews **by the end of the day and I'll put the chapter up sometime tomorrow? Otherwise, let the suspense hang in the air until Friday.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	24. Life's Game

**AN: **So here's the chapter as promised. If I say anything now, I'll spoil it. So until the end,

Read, enjoy, and review!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-four<br>Life's Game**

Sakura slowly lifted her head when the wind had died down, and she was sure glass wasn't flying everywhere. Even Marie had been forced to get out the way after Sakura had started the summoning. She had known off the bat she had succeeded and boy had the energies put up a tough fight as she gave them form. It obviously didn't like being forced to do anything. It was at that point that Sakura knew sealing this spirit would not be as easy as it had been to seal GLAMOUR, and that had been hard enough.

"Hm," Sakura heard one of the spirits say. "Which one of you was bold enough, let alone powerful enough, to personify me in this form?"

She was calm, cool, and impassive. There was no feeling at all in her tone and at first, Sakura assumed it was the death spirit talking when she looked up and saw that it was the one in black waiting expectantly for someone to answer. But then Sakura saw the pendant hanging around her neck, an ankh. Hold on a minute…

"So is anyone going to answer me?" she asked.

"I did," Sakura said standing up and shaking the glass off her, vaguely aware of her friends standing in the doorway. They were not going to let her live this down, but she'd deal with that later.

The spirit looked in her direction, and if she was surprised, she gave no indication of it. Sakura couldn't even sense an emotion from her. The spirit was a painful void.

"You," she said. "A little girl thinks that she can be a master over me."

The woman gave her a once over and then her eyes landed on the staff. "But not just any girl. The heir of the great Clow Reed. How come I'm not surprised?"

The spirit drifted over to Sakura and cupped her chin, forcing Sakura to look her in the eye. Sakura shivered. Her touch was so cold.

"You're quite the talk among the magic community I hear," she said. "Tell me why you called me here star child. Not many people are bold enough to think they can master me, not even Clow was this arrogant, to think that he would ever be able to seal me."

Sakura was silent.

"Hm… You don't want to answer me," she said and forced her back, causing Sakura to fall into the glass on the ground. "All that boldness is gone now I see."

She turned her back to walk away, but the other woman, dressed in white, brushed past her and rushed to Sakura's side, helping the girl up and brushing off the glass.

"It's alright star child," she said in a tone with much more feeling than her sisters. "My sister is like that."

"You always were too nice to the mortals."

"Come on now. I've watched this one. She doesn't ask for much from you. In fact, I've rarely seen a mortal so selfless. Maybe this one time you can-"

"You know that's not how I let people play the game, Death," the woman said and then turned back around. "Pardon me though. I haven't introduced myself. I've gone by many names, but I think what you people call me this time around is Life, and that's my sister, Death."

"Life," Death said. "Please. The girl's just heartbroken. It's not her fault. She doesn't want to master you. It was that sorceress over there. That Marie. She's been evading me for the last half century, and she's trying to use you to do it."

"Lovely. That makes two people to play the game," Life said looking at Marie who only seemed to be trying to access the situation from where she stood near the broken window.

"Game?"

Life turned to look at Eriol. Her expression never changed and neither did her tone, but Sakura's empathy was starting to kick into overdrive, and she detected something of sadistic amusement from the spirit.

"Oh yes. It's a game no one can win. I never tire, but you mortals are so easy to defeat. Even if you do endure, you always get tired in the end, and Death comes calling," Life said.

"Life really. There's no time for one of your games. All the girl wants is-"

"I know what she wants," Life snapped. "But I won't just hand over the power to manipulate my game."

"Ugh," Death said and then turned to Sakura. "You summoned her here, so now you have to play her game."

Sakura looked between the two, confused as hell to be quite frank. What in the world was going on? And why was Death being so nice to her when Life was acting like a class-A jerk?

"I don't understand…"

"Of course you don't. That's because no one's ever been able to subdue me. Tell you what? I'll give you my power, if you can defeat me," Life said.

"You act like she has a choice in the matter. They accepted your game when she summoned you here," Death muttered.

"Wait a minute," Sakura said. "I don't get it what game, what- AH!"

The wind picked up in the room again and this time, Sakura had the sense enough to use the SHIELD to protect herself until the wind died down. But seeing as she had used so much power throwing everyone off earlier with MAZE, ILLUSION, and GLAMOUR earlier, in combination with having personified the two spirits in the first place, her body protested, as did her magic and the last thing Sakura remembered seeing was Life, a cruel smile playing upon her lips, before she collapsed.

* * *

><p>It was darker than it was before the next time Sakura woke up and she was positive at least a few hours had passed since she blacked out. Of that much, she was aware. She glanced at the time… Ten o'clock. It had definitely been a few hours, but Sakura didn't feel like getting up yet, especially not to face her friends. She didn't have the strength to deal with this right now.<p>

She rolled over, intending to go back to sleep, only to roll into Kero, in his true form cuddled next to her. Sakura smiled a little and closed her eyes, intending to go back to sleep. Loud voices from outside the door stopped her though and she sighed. Maybe if she just ignored it.

"This is stupid! It's Marie that's at fault! But you walk right past her. Sakura's just as much the victim here as anyone else!"

"You need to learn your place. You don't even have any magic."

"That's it. I don't care if you were the queen of the universe. This has gone far enough!"

"Meiling!" Sakura heard Tomoyo exclaim.

"Mother, this isn't funny," Dominik snapped. Sakura rolled her eyes. It figured Marie would find this all funny.

"You're not getting in there," Eriol said calmly from where he was after someone had apparently restrained Meiling.

Sakura groaned.

"You don't have to go out there you know," Cerberus grumbled to her. Obviously the noise had awakened him too. "You could just ignore it."

"It sounds like the council," Sakura said sighing. "I should have expected this."

With that said, Sakura rolled over and made her way out the bed. Cerberus followed behind her, and she opened the door to see Midha calmly facing her friends, a steely look in the councilwoman's eyes which told Sakura that Midha wouldn't have tolerated them much longer.

"You wanted to talk to me," Sakura said sighing.

Everyone turned to look at her, and Sakura got a sense of concern and wary from the room. She didn't blame them for being concerned. She was exhausted, and Midha was the last thing she wanted or needed to be dealing with at a time like this.

"More than that," Midha said. "This has gone far enough."

"I'm not sure I exactly know what you're talking about," Sakura said coming into the room and having a seat.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. I'm talking about those two spirits you summoned," Midha said.

"Oh," Sakura said dryly. "_That_."

She said it in a tone she could have only picked up from Yue, but her calm polite expression remained.

"Yes that. It's just as we predicted. We always thought you were too dangerous to be left alone. I'm going to have to ask you to come with me… That is after you fix this entire mess and seal those two spirits."

The whole room rose into an uproar except Marie who was just observing the entire situation and Sakura, who was looking at Midha with a very thoughtful expression.

"You know," Sakura finally said. "It seems like after watching me this long and with all the so-called power you have, you would have been able to stop me, if you really wanted to…"

The words silenced everyone in the room and hung in the air.

"And I think, if you really wanted to, you could have stopped Marie a long time ago," Sakura added thoughtfully.

Marie huffed. "The council is the last group I'm worried about getting in my way."

"What are you trying to say child?" Midha asked, a smirk playing on her lips.

"I think you've been trying to manipulate me about as much as Marie has been," Sakura said as her eyes brightened with the light of realization the more she thought about it. Now the council's interest in her made sense and their lack of action with Marie.

"You all wanted me to create those two cards. That way you could confiscate them or at least try to in the name of protecting the magical world, because you don't have influence over anyone anymore. The families go by their own rules and you all wanted to use my power to regain control," Sakura said and then groaned. "This is so obvious in hindsight."

"That certainly explains your sudden interest in a sixteen year old girl who has no record of doing anything malicious with magic," Kaho said looking at Midha.

Midha raised an eyebrow saying, "And what proof do you have?"

"None," Cerberus said. "But it's too coincidental not to be true. Once the other magic families find out, any influence you did have will be gone."

Midha faltered, only a little and then Eriol, who seemed to be taking much amusement from making the woman uncomfortable said, "You know I'm sure there's a provision somewhere in your guidelines about if the council abuses their power or is manipulative or something along those lines that the one who discovers such abuse has the right to disband them of their power and instate only temporarily a magical monarchy."

Midha paled at that point and looked at Sakura, who laughed as if the idea were completely ridiculous.

"Really Eriol? Who wants all the drama that comes with being a monarch?" she asked

"Just an option Sakura," Dominik said from where he was next to Tomoyo.

"If you want those spirits sealed," Sakura said standing up. "You'll have to do it yourself. I'm done being messed around with."

"That's not an option," Midha said.

"I think she told you. She-"

Midha cut Syaoran off. "I know what she said and this has nothing to do with whether or not you believe this accusation is true or not-"

"And it is," Eriol said.

"-you can't leave that death spirit to roam freely. There's a reason everyone who ever tried to conquer life and death never could manage it," Midha said.

"Why?" Marie asked deciding to join the conversation now that it was about something that concerned her.

Midha couldn't answer. No one had ever had to deal with a situation like this before. No one had ever even managed to get so far as to personify a life and death spirit.

"It's not me that you should be worried about."

Everyone turned to look toward the entranceway in surprise. There Death stood, dressed in white robes with a cross on a chain around her neck. She hadn't been what they had expected for a death spirit. They expected her to be the dangerous force that shouldn't be messed with. But there she was appearing to be gentle, serene, and merciful.

So much had happened that they hadn't even noticed her absence earlier, thinking that she had gone to follow her sister. But now that she was back, her presence was very apparent. It was warm and inviting, the opposite of what they thought the presence of death herself should be.

"Simply put," she continued, "my sister's a real bitch."

No one knew whether to be surprised by Death's words or concerned. Therefore, no one said anything in response, and Death continued to make her way forward. When Death stopped in the middle of the room, taking in everything in a similar manner to the way her sister had before, it was Sakura who managed a response.

"That's a cruel thing to say about you sister."

Death shrugged now inspecting her head. "Well she is. Where do you think the saying came from? She's not always a bitch though. She's just really… what do you humans call it? Bipolar I think. Anyway, sometimes she can be really nice and other times well… She's not going to make it easy."

Sakura was now thoroughly confused.

"I don't get it. You're Death, but you're…" Sakura didn't know how to say it without insulting the spirit.

Death huffed. "Really. With my sister it's the flip of a coin. She can be incredibly nice or extremely harsh. There's no in between with her. I balance her out, but when I can't convince her I have mercy upon those I don't think can endure or want to endure anymore and give them eternal rest. I save them from dealing with the perils of my sister."

"That's so… So…"

"Awful that I have to make that call?" Death said and then shrugged, her voice almost taking on the impassive edge of her sister's. "I'm used to it by now. It's either let my sister play her game, stop her, or take away her players. It's that simple. In any case, for that reason, you can't let her roam free."

Everyone was silent as Sakura stared at Death opening and closing her mouth, not quite sure what to say.

"But I can't…"

"I tried to stop her. I tried to convince her, but she won't listen. Once Life's set on her game, there's no stopping her."

"What's the worst that can happen?" Cerberus asked.

"We're not just talking about people dropping dead," Death said going over to the now repaired window and pulling the curtain aside.

Stunned silence followed as everyone looked at the dark night sky. Dark swirling gray clouds covered the stars and the moon, barely penetrated by the streetlights and other lights down the busy strip.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked.

"My sister is a greatly misunderstood force. There's a reason no one has ever been able to stop her," Death replied. "Life has every force of nature at the tip of her fingers, every resource she can get her hands on and no sorcerer or sorceress has ever been able to match up to that. That's why my sister isn't a force to be meddled with."

"Isn't there anything you can do?" Syaoran asked. "You are her sister."

Death sighed. "There are certain rules I have to abide by. I stay in my lane, and she stays in hers. She's more powerful than me anyway. No one can defeat her. She always wins. The fear that anyone, no matter how powerful could actually manage to control her was irrational; until recently that is."

Death cast a look at Sakura.

"I know you can defeat my sister, or at the very least quell her rage."

"But I… I can't…"

Death only gave her a penetrating stare, and Sakura closed her mouth, not sure what to say at this point and neither was anyone else. Death's explanation was a lot to comprehend.

Sakura went closer to the window and looked at the clouds in the sky. Life had managed to make her mark in only a few hours with just crazy looking clouds, and she was positive the spirit could have done a lot more, but it appeared she was waiting for her, bidding her time until the true fun began. And if Sakura were honest with herself, this was all her fault anyway, for letting Marie get to her. She sighed.

"I am so going to deserve a long vacation after this mess is over…" she muttered summoning her staff and turning to everyone else.

As if hearing her declaration, thunder boomed in the sky and lightning crackled in the sky, striking the ground. Flames erupted in the distance.

"That damn sister of mine and her crazy game. Forget bipolar. She's fucking psychotic!" Death said following Sakura who had wasted no time opening the window and flying out into the storm.

Cerberus started to follow, but Tomoyo yelled, "Wait for me!"

"Do you really want to get involved in this?" Cerberus asked.

"Always," Tomoyo said, the risks and dangers involved never crossing her mind as she climbed on Cerberus' back, camera in tow.

The rest of the group followed behind them, except Midha, who sighed and made to leave the suite through the door, and Dominik, who stared after them and looked at his grandmother.

"Are you coming?"

"Of course not," Marie said. "I've already played my hand and everything's working out even better than I ever anticipated. Either the girl dies trying or accomplishes her goal and has to uphold her side of our deal. It's a win-win situation. Why play the game any further?"

Dominik looked at her with a penetrating stare and then said, "I want no further part in your game."

It was enough said, and Marie could take it whichever way she pleased. And with that said, Dominik went after everyone else, determined to do whatever he could to resolve this fiasco he helped begin.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Okay. So a lot to say about this chapter. This is what? Chapter twenty-four, which meant when I began posting this at the end of October, this chapter wasn't written and I was praying that my ending wouldn't conflict with everything I had posted. Because I've written before, changed direction at the end and then had to go back and edit because of a continuity problem. In this case it thankfully worked out.

In any case, I was obsessed with making this conflict not what anyone expected, hence Life became the problem spirit. I came to me in my world lit class when I was working on this and half paying attention while we were going over _Praise of Folly_ and my teacher says this in regards to the point of the story: "Life's a bitch and then you die." Whether I believe in that or not I won't say, but I was like "OMG! That's it!" Hence the reason Death calls her sister that.

Writing Life and Death was funny, because Life is like that crazy relative. You love them, but they're crazy as hell and you know it. So Death knows her sister's "crazy" and is essentially telling everyone they shouldn't have messed with her. Then there's the council. I went back and forth on what their intentions were and originally Midha was related to Marie, but I decided against it. Regardless, there was a problem with the fact that the council was very inactive and so the result of that was a surprise to me too.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	25. Life's Manipulation

**AN: **This is a pretty long chapter. Not nearly as long as the last chapter of this is, but long enough. So more interaction between our favorite characters here as Sakura tries her best to combat Life.

Read, enjoy, and review!

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-five<br>Life's Manipulation**

Sakura could barely fly at all in the mess of the storm that was being caused by Life, and it was only when an arm reached around her waist to steady her that she was able to get her bearings straight. For a moment, her brain registered it as Yue, for it was similar to the way he would grab her around the waist to steady her when she was flying in the air or just being clumsy on her own two feet. It was only similar though.

She looked over to see Death hovering next to her.

"You looked like you could use the extra support," she said.

Sakura blinked and then asked, "Why are you helping me? Why aren't you helping your sister make my life miserable?"

Death smiled. "Because I don't have the same nature as my sister. And I pity the mortal souls whose existence she disturbs with all her so-called chances and mood swings."

Sakura didn't know whether to take comfort in that statement or be more worried.

"Relax… In order for someone to die as a direct cause of this mess my sister has caused, I have to be willing to take them. But if you can defeat her, there will be no need to. Everything she causes to happen will be undone."

"And if I don't…"

Death didn't answer, but Sakura would never know if it was because the spirit chose not to or because they both were too shocked at the inferno that Life had caused in her rage.

"What is she thinking?" Sakura asked flying higher to avoid the heat of the blaze. At the rate Life's fire was burning, she's take out the entire town.

"She's not thinking. My sister's insane with rage at the moment. The only way to stop this is to defeat her. Don't try to-"

But Sakura wasn't paying attention to Death. In a quick instant she had summoned FIREY to fight the blaze, fire with fire.

The flames only rose back, fighting against FIREY.

"Call it back!" Death yelled.

Sakura did so, seeing that it certainly wasn't helping the situation. In fact, if anything, she had trapped her and Death in a rising wall of flames.

Death sighed. "I just can't believe you captured all those darn Clow cards by being reckless. Think like you did back then."

"But Life isn't-"

"It's the same principle though. You'll never be able to defeat her if you don't force her out of wherever she's hiding. Either that or find out where she's hiding."

"That could be anywhere!" Sakura yelled.

"Well how did you capture the cards?"

Sakura stared at Death for a moment. It had been so long since she captured the cards, she had all but forgotten how it used to work. First weird things would happen and if the darkening, cloudy sky with thunder and lightning and no rain wasn't weird, she didn't know what was. Then sometime before or after realizing weird things were going on she would sense the card and follow it to wherever the presence was strongest, which in this case was…

"That way!" Sakura yelled flying in the direction Life's presence was strongest. It was hard to focus on it though, for the spirit had cast her presence all over the city.

Death tilted her head as they arrived at a tall homey looked brick building downtown.

"That's odd. What would my sister be doing here…?" she asked.

"What is this place?" Sakura asked as the sign had been burnt down.

"Have you volunteered here recently or something? It's an orphanage…"

"Orphanage… Oh no!" Sakura said flying inside.

"Wait a minute!" Death yelled. "My sister's trying to trap-"

Sakura was already inside before Death had even begun her warning.

"Is anyone in here?" she asked.

"Someone came to get us!" a girl's voice yelled. "I told you!"

"Up here!" a second voice shouted very similar to the first.

Sakura remembered those voices. She flew up the burning stairs and to a room, the walls alit with fire.

"Look! It's _Onee-chan_!" the more bubbly of the twin girls, Hana, said and then turned to the other children she was guarding. "_Onee-chan _is a witch!"

"A witch!" one of the younger children said.

"A good witch," Ayame added looking around and then saying to Sakura. "Something stopped us from leaving. Someone's here…"

"Someone?" Sakura asked and then shook her head. "Forget it. Let's get out of-"

"I knew you'd come here."

"That's her!" Ayame said. "That's the woman who trapped us in here."

"She trapped you?" Sakura asked and then turned to back to Life. "They're just children, How can you be so-?"

"Cruel?" Life finished and then shrugged. "I make no discriminations. Everyone is just a pawn in my game, and I'll do whatever I want to whoever I please."

Sakura could find nothing to say to the woman. She couldn't even comprehend her logic.

Seeing this, Life said, "You're in way over your head. If you had any sense, you wouldn't challenge me. Alas people like you are what make this game so fun."

"I have no time for this," Sakura muttered turning back to the children. "Let's get out of-"

"Watch out!" Hana yelled.

Sakura moved (rather fell back) out the way just in time to miss the piece of flaming ceiling

"I don't like to be ignored," Life said, black eyes glowing with her magic. "But at least you showed up. I'll have to deal with that Marie later."

"What do you want from me?"

"I should be asking that question actually," Life said as the blazing inferno grew stronger.

"Ayame!" Hana yelled as her sister collapsed.

Sakura caught Ayame before she hit the ground, trying to shake the girl awake.

"_Onegai_. Ayame, wake up!" Sakura said.

Life tilted her head at the scene, the only indication that she might have been moved by it. "Oh… How sad?"

"WINDY. SHADOW!"

The children yelped at the appearance of the two spirits.

"It's okay," Sakura said not taking her eyes off Life. "They'll get you out of here. Death, can you help?"

The other spirit, who had been mainly inactive, simply shook her head.

"I can guide you Sakura, but I can't directly interfere. You aren't my master. There are rules I have to obey," Death said solemnly and then disappeared entirely.

Sakura groaned.

"Need some help?"

"Kero!" Sakura said in delight and then asked, "Where's Tomoyo?"

"She's with Dominik and Kaho outside," Eriol replied standing next to her to face Life as Cerberus helped WINDY and SHADOW get the remaining children out.

Life looked at Eriol and plainly stated, "You aren't my opponent," before her eyes glowed again and an invisible force attacked him.

Eriol calmly brought up a shield to protect himself, but seeming irritated that he had even tried to fight against her, Life tilted her head, breaking through the shield and tossing him back into an already compromised wall. Not only did the wall collapse, but so did a beam that was supporting the main frame of the building, causing the entire building to shudder dangerously.

"And you aren't my only opponent," Life said looking at Sakura manipulating the flames into the shape of a large serpent to fight her.

"WATERY!"

WATERY attacked the creature head on, causing it to disperse and then made her way to try to put out the flames. It appeared to be working, but Life only glanced to where she had tossed Eriol aside.

As she followed Life's gaze, it suddenly occurred to Sakura that the spirit might have allowed her to put out the fire because the damage was already done. The shuddering of the building only confirmed her suspicions as she ran to Eriol's side and using the power that the new staff allowed her called, "SHEILD!" just as the building collapsed around them.

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><p>It had taken them all by surprise. Life appearing before them, eyes glowing briefly before she disappeared and then the building coming down before them. There hadn't been enough time to get out the way, so all they could have done was duck down, cover their heads and hope for the best.<p>

"Is everyone alright?" Syaoran said as he got up first to make sure everything was clear.

"I think so," Dominik said helping Tomoyo, who he had unceremoniously forced to the ground during the collapse, up off the ground.

Kaho, who had worked with Cerberus, SHADOW, and WINDY to cover the children, checked over the children and then looked down at the collapsed child in her arms and said, "She needs help. It looks like she's having trouble breathing."

"There's nothing to be done so long as my sister is wreaking havoc."

Everyone looked at Death who was floating calmly next to them, looking at the wreckage of the building left by her sister.

"Where's Sakura and Eriol?" Tomoyo asked the spirit.

Death tilted her head to the wreckage, and Tomoyo gasped.

"Relax. She's fine. Probably trying to decide which card to use to get from under all that rubble," said Death.

"What?" Meiling, Syaoran, and Tomoyo exclaimed immediately making their way to the rubble to help.

Syaoran stopped before her got there though, and rounded on Death.

"Whose side are you on anyway? One moment you're giving advice and the next you're just letting your sister mess us over. What's your problem?" he snapped.

Death sighed and opened her mouth to explain when they heard, "ERASE!"

The wreckage in a particular spot disappeared, and Sakura climbed out a small space with Eriol.

"Sakura!" Syaoran said running over with Meiling and Tomoyo to help them out.

Sakura coughed as she sat on a pile of wood and brick. She looked at Death and then at Syaoran before saying, "It's not her fault. There are certain rules she has to abide by. So she can't help directly. If you're going to yell at anyone, yell at me. It's my fault."

Syaoran sighed, "Believe me. I'm sorely tempted to…"

Tomoyo hit Syaoran on the arm, and he muttered a quick sorry as he helped Sakura stand.

"I think it would be better if you all found somewhere safe to stay until I can beat Life, if I can beat her," Sakura added

"Why?" Tomoyo asked.

"Because she wants me, and she's willing to use anyone close to get to me if they don't stay out the way. I don't want any of you hurt. She didn't like when Eriol tried to interfere."

Everyone looked at Eriol who waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine. Sakura's just making a big deal out of nothing."

"This isn't nothing!" Sakura exclaimed loudly catching everyone's attention. "Look at all this. It's a lot more than nothing!"

Sakura looked to be on the verge of tears, and it was likely she would have started crying then and there if it weren't for Dominik asking, "Where'd Life go?"

Sakura gasped, tears forgotten. "I don't know. She just left."

"Did she give you any clues before she left?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know. She got upset because I ignored her for a moment and then talked about how she doesn't like to be ignored and that-" It suddenly dawned on her where Life had gone. "She went to find Marie. Marie's been ignoring her."

"Where are you going?" Dominik asked as wings appeared on Sakura's back.

"After Life," Sakura said.

"I don't know," Death said in a whimsical tone. "I say let my sister have her way with that witch. She's been cheating me and my sister for the last fifty years."

"We can't do that," said Sakura.

Dominik snorted. "I'm going to have to agree with Death on this one."

"She's your grandmother!"

"Enough said," Dominik replied. "Marie deserves this. I'm not risking my life to save her."

Sakura sighed. "Fine. You all stay here and make sure those kids get somewhere safe."

"Where are you going?" Dominik asked.

"To save Marie? Life's sick game is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy and to date, Marie is certainly the worst," Sakura said taking to the skies.

Death looked after her for a moment before shrugging and disappearing, no doubt intending to follow her. It was only a second later before Tomoyo groaned and hit Dominik on the arm.

"What in the world?" he asked.

"You're not going to help?" Tomoyo snapped.

"For what? Marie has had this coming. She deserves it if you ask me," Dominik said sternly.

"I'm pretty sure that's how we all feel regarding Marie, but it's not her. It's Sakura. We can't just let her go like this," Tomoyo said.

"I wish you were wrong," Syaoran said. "But you're right. I'll go with Dominik."

"I meant that I was going too," Tomoyo said.

"You're kidding," Dominik said.

Tomoyo shook her head.

"It's one thing for you to follow us here and stay outside, but this is bound to get ugly if my grandmother is involved," Dominik warned. "There's no way-"

"It's no use arguing with her. She's been tagging along on this stuff since we were ten. Just let her go," Syaoran said to him looking at the still darkening sky. He could hardly see right in front of him. "Looks like we don't have the time to argue."

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><p>Sakura landed in Marie's suite, surprised that Life wasn't there already. In any case, Marie was sitting in the same spot she was before she had left her, seeming unconcerned about the darkening sky, the wind that was picking up, and the red haze that had fallen over the city because of Life's havoc.<p>

"You're back so soon?" Marie asked.

"I see you haven't moved," Sakura said and then setting her hostility towards the woman aside said, "We have to get out of here. Life is after you, if she's not already here somewhere."

Marie looked at her and then calmly stood up, going over to her desk to look over some papers.

"You're a curious child. You know that?" Marie asked.

"Not the first time I've heard it," Sakura said, her senses telling her something wasn't right. It was too calm around here.

"I'm sure," Marie replied. "Help me to understand child. Shouldn't you just let me die if what you say is true? I certainly wouldn't hurry to your rescue. One less powerful sorceress for me to compete with."

Sakura looked at Marie for a moment. The woman's twisted philosophy never ceased to amaze her. She stared for a long time in silent contemplation and disbelief before saying, "It's not my call to make."

"What?" Marie asked.

"You may have been a real pain in my neck these last few weeks, and you might deserve to die to everyone else, and I may even think you deserve to die," Sakura added, the brief scowl and slight roll of her eyes telling Marie that part of the young card mistress did think she deserved it. "But who am I to make the call of whether you die or not."

Marie now gave Sakura the same penetrating stare that Sakura had given Marie earlier. Then Marie laughed.

"Have I taught you nothing at all?" she asked. "Still the same naïve girl I met a month ago?"

Sakura sighed. She didn't have to explain herself to people like Marie or Midha anymore. They weren't going to listen to her anyway. They were stuck in their own way, unwilling to bend or compromise. So she'd return the favor in kind.

"Just the same," Sakura agreed. "Now are you coming or-"

"How touching. Arch rivals having a moment."

Sakura froze, looking around for the spirit, but unable to find her. That was odd. She hadn't even sensed her.

"You even came to save her. I never understood that about humans. This woman has done nothing but give you trouble for the last month, and you run to her aid. Alas, it will be in vain."

Suddenly the whole backside of the suite, where the window was, collapsed. Sakura screamed as the harsh winds blew into the suite. The wind stirred around Marie, forcing her forward towards the window.

"Marie!" Sakura yelled and then said. "WINDY! Pull Marie away from the window!"

WINDY grabbed hold of Marie who looked she didn't appreciate neither Sakura nor Life's insistence. Instead, electricity cackled in the air, and Marie managed to break out the grips of both forces. Then, deciding that Life was the bigger enemy, her sword appeared in her hand, incased by a dark purple aura as she sliced through the wind gales that came at her.

Sakura called SHIELD forward so that she could walk against the wind and stand next to Marie, but with difficulty. How in the world was she supposed to fight the wind? It made her glad WINDY was the one card she hadn't had to capture when she was younger.

Life tilted her head a little in Sakura's direction, but kept her eyes on Marie and then said, "You almost perplex me card mistress; that you would work so hard to protect your enemy… It's baffling."

Sakura shivered a little. The way Life's eyes were looking at Marie but head was turned to her was creepy.

"If I weren't so curious, I'd show you what happened to little girls who interfere in other people's affairs," Life said to her. The spirit's eyes glowed and a wind gale hit Sakura from behind, throwing out the side of the suite.

"FLOAT!" she yelled, not sure she would be able to fly in wind, now accompanied by rain, this harsh.

"Ugh… That hurt," Sakura said to herself, fighting to stay upright on FLOAT as she made her way back toward the suite, only to find that Life had summoned some kind of shield to keep her out of the way.

"Marie!" Sakura yelled.

"Now that we have a little more privacy," Life said, eyes not moving from Marie as the suite began to come done on top of Marie, but Marie took it in stride, disappearing as the suite collapsed. She reappeared on top of the debris.

Frustrated at her inability to do anything, Sakura floated above the shield to get a better view.

"I don't like to be ignored," Life said and though her tone never changed, Sakura sensed the anger coming off of her in waves.

"Then let me make it up to you," Marie said launching herself at Life with her sword.

Life only disappeared and then reappeared behind her.

"You only face me because now you're forced to," Life said. "How cowardly of you?"

Marie whirled around to face Life, only to find the spirit wasn't there. Sakura hadn't taken her eyes off Life and even she couldn't find her. Rather than risk waiting for the woman to reappear, Marie decided that a retreat would be more tactful and Sakura saw the woman disappear from sight, only to reappear just inside the shield Life had erected, effectively trapping Marie. Life didn't intend to let the woman go anywhere.

"You've been running a long time Marie. Not today," Life's voice said and this time when Marie turned around, Life was still there behind her. "You can't be master over me, if you aren't willing to prove that you can beat me."

With that, Marie's eyes glowed black and the ground beneath the woman and the spirit turned black.

"Sakura!"

Sakura turned to look to where Syaoran, Tomoyo, Cerberus, and Dominik were, right outside the perimeter of Life's shield.

"What is this?" Dominik asked, not really concerned about his grandmother as cold as the thought was, but more concerned about why Sakura wasn't helping like she had been adamant on doing before.

"I can't get past. Life won't let me," Sakura yelled. She turned back to look at the scene to see that Marie had summoned an army of spirits from the underworld using her necromancy, Sakura decided to call it. While many remained outside of her, to form a protective blockade between her and Life, a few of them were absorbed into her sword, the pulsing purple aura turning so dark that it was almost black.

Life didn't seem the least bit fazed and instead said, "Just as you've summoned me, you've summoned my sister and let me tell you. Death is not on your side today."

Marie didn't say a word as her eyes continued to glow as she tried to control her undead army to no avail.

"What?" she said obviously surprised, and that was when everyone saw Death standing a few yards away from her sister and Marie, looking as indifferent as her sister.

"What's going on?" Tomoyo asked confused as horror seemed to flash across Marie's face as she came to some realization.

"Marie can't use her powers over to undead to fight, not when she's essentially just challenged Death herself," Dominik replied. "She can't use Death's own magic against her unless she's more powerful than Death."

"But I thought Death was on our side," Tomoyo said.

"No," Syaoran said. "Death is on Sakura's side, but you heard her before. She's been after Marie for years."

By this time, Death had turned Marie's army against her.

"I think this time I'll let my sister have her way," Life said going to float behind her sister. "Drag her to hell Death."

Marie would not go down without a fight though and so raised her sword, still imbued with some of the dead spirits she had summoned and begin to cut them down. But it was no use. The more Marie cut them down, the faster the monsters came.

"Death!" Sakura called.

"It's no use."

Sakura looked up to see Life sitting on top of her shield next to her. She looked back down. How did the spirit move so quickly?

"Marie bought this on herself. My sister may seem to like you, but that doesn't mean she's even remotely fond of Marie. This has been a long time coming."

"No!" Sakura shouted and summoned her staff.

Life looked at her with her expressionless gaze. "It's no use."

"SWORD!"

Sakura struck down hard with sword. It only rebounded, throwing her back while on FLOAT.

"Foolish child," Life said as she continued to watch her sister who wasn't doing much. Marie was fighting a losing battle as the undead spirits dragged her down.

Sakura huffed and grasped the staff turned sword with both her hands. She lifted it up over her head and once more brought it crashing down on the shield. Life looked like she wanted to laugh if the look in her eyes was any indication, and she might have if she hadn't noticed the small crack that had appeared in her shield.

"Oh?" the spirit said, voice void of all emotion or any hint that she might have been amused before.

Sakura raised her sword once more and to everyone's shock, including the spirit next to her, on the next strike, the shield shattered; not just cracked and fell apart, but completely shattered. She missed the furrow of Life's eyebrows, the only indication of shock as she rushed to help Marie. But it was too late. She crashed into the spot Marie had been in just as the undead spirits disappeared, with Marie nowhere in sight.

"Where did she-?"

"Finally," Death said.

Sakura looked up at the spirit. "Finally!"

"Why so angry?" Death asked. "She was your enemy, wasn't she?"

"But you said you wouldn't… You said…" Sakura trailed off.

Death shrugged. "I've been trying to get Marie for years, not for her mercy or sake either. She was one of the few that could combat and get around my sister. Taking her was for the sake of everyone else. Trust me star child. You'll be better off."

"And you talk about me," Life said appearing next to her sister again. "I didn't know you had it in you, sister, although I suppose it's not so shocking. We do come from the same essence, just opposites."

Death scowled at her sister's unmoving expression.

"Don't get it wrong," she said. "I didn't do that to Marie for my own sick pleasure. Why don't you stop this mess right now?"

Life rose in the air, her answer simple. "No."

Death turned to Sakura who was still staring at her. "I was hoping she'd calm down a little, with Marie gone. But I guess not. You'll have to-"

Sakura didn't stick around to listen to what Death thought she had to do. Instead she called fly and took to the skies, helped by the fact that Life's storm had died down a little.

"I hope she doesn't think she can run away," Life said and then turned to Death. "But I have to thank you. I don't think I could have worn her down so much on my own."

Death blinked and then it occurred to her that Life had cornered Marie on purpose, forced her sister to play her part in her game, to scare Sakura.

"You… You…" Death couldn't find a word that might be vulgar enough to call her sister.

"You have no sway in what I do when I'm playing my game. I did nothing wrong."

Death wished she could use her magic upon her sister to kill her sometimes, but there was a reason neither could use their power against each other to destroy the other completely.

"I won't let you win this time," Death said and disappeared.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> I was supposed to update this earlier, but I got caught up in another CCS story that's not part of this universe. That little plot bunny just wouldn't let me sleep! And I'm supposed to be proofreading my novel too! Anyway, more about that plot bunny later, like at the end of this story.

In any case, I didn't know how well put together this chapter was until I reread it, because this was one of the chapters I struggled through writing. So I was really expecting to have to do a massive rewrite. Surprisingly, there was no need. And yay! Marie's dead! In any case, not much to say about this chapter. I liked this one more so because of all the interaction between Life, Death, Sakura, and Marie. But you're all free to come to your own conclusions.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	26. Kiss of Death

**AN: **I'm exhausted. Was out of town all weekend for my sister's birthday, I speed proofread my novel all night, rush to post something on the internet for one of classes three minutes before it was due online and instead of postponing this, I decided to go ahead and post it. Glad you enjoyed the last chapter. I enjoyed your reviews. I understand the issue of school preventing you from reviewing. It's easy to read on the go, but reviewing is a little harder. That doesn't mean I won't enjoy then later. Anyway,

Read, enjoy, and review!

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-six<br>Kiss of Death**

Death couldn't stand her sister, not when she was like this anyway. As a spirit, she wasn't supposed to feel much of anything. She was just the personification of death. She was supposed to do her job to temper her sister's mood swings and save mortals from it when it became too much or when she know it would be too much. Death didn't discriminate. Young and old, good and evil. Every life she took was somehow for the greater good of humanity or to stop Life's disturbing game.

Death had been waiting for a chance to take Marie for a long time. But sorceresses not only had a greater resistance against her sister, but also against Death herself. It was hard to simply take a person with magic like she could a mortal with no physical reason at all except that they just didn't wake up. It took some act of stupidity, the loss of the will to live to, or outright murder for Death to get the chance to swoop in when it came to people with powerful magic. Unfortunately, Marie had been neither stupid, lacking in the area of will to live, nor dumb enough to let anyone kill her. But even someone so obsessed with immortality as Marie couldn't fully comprehend the subtleties of life and death and what it took to control them. She had planned on using the card mistress to fight her battles and didn't count on it backfiring against her. To Life, Marie had been a conspirator in the plot to subdue her, so she was just as guilty.

And Life had perfectly packaged the woman, egged her on just enough for Marie to make one fatal mistake and give Death the opportunity she had been seeking for centuries…

But every now and then a person came along and gained Death's favor. Instead of saving the person from her sister, Death would try her best to help them win Life's cruel game. The card mistress was one of those people. She rarely came across someone with such pure hearted intent and goodness, a few every hundred years or so perhaps. But these people sometimes had the tendency to be naïve, and one good tragedy or so, allowing Life to have her fun every now and then on those people tempered them out.

Death should have taken the moon guardian days ago and the only reason she hadn't was because the card mistresses very will to keep him alive kept her from doing so. But never would she have thought the girl would have had enough guts to personify her in this form to save him. How could a child be so bold? She hadn't quite seen such determination coupled with fearlessness of the unknown consequences like that in a while. That alone had been enough to garner Death on her side, to aid her. But then Life had to go and trick her into scaring the girl.

Needless to say, Death was not pleased, and so she planned to play by her rules, bend them just a little, consequences be damned. She'd show her sister just how alike they were. Two could play this manipulative game.

"I shouldn't be doing this," she mused to no one as she stared out the window at the waning crescent moon, hardly a crescent really, just a thin silver of light remained from it. "I'm not supposed to be actively trying to help. But my sister always wins, since the beginning. It's time she loses just once."

Death had been trying to justify it ever since the thought had come to mind, a way to take her sister by surprise. Sure she risked enraging her sister more, but… It was better to enrage her sister a little more and give that girl a chance than to let this play out for the worse. All the possible things that could go wrong if she just let this play out… For one, Life's damage wouldn't be undone. It would also leave that stupid council free to get their hands on the power of those troublesome cards or worse, unleash the things on the planet (Life would have a field day), or if the card mistress managed to survive… Well, that child's destiny could go either way, but the last thing humanity needed was another dark sorceress. Death had dealt with enough of those.

But if this didn't work, or at least help, she really, really, really risked Life's rage going on forever. It had happened before. Life had cursed Europe with more than a few plagues because of some sorcerer or another trying and failing to conquer her.

"I do hope this helps. Otherwise, there will be hell to pay," she finally said sighing.

Death turned away from the window and to the bed where Yue lay, almost lifeless and so pale.

"Some would say I have this angel in my cold grip. But my grip, my touch isn't so cold," Death said placing her hand on his cheek. "My sister on the other hand can have a cold touch, and she's certainly dealt you a cold hand before. But she's not all that bad. I promise."

Death lowered her face to hover just centimeters above Yue's. "You humans talk like my kiss is a bad thing. Sometimes it is. But other times..."

Death pressed her lips gently against Yue's, in a light chaste kiss. Then she pulled back, her work done, and waited. The result would not be instantaneous, but quick enough, and so she waited near the window, watching the outside. Her sister had calmed down for the moment, no doubt part of the woman's torturous game against the card mistress. This was only the eye of Life's storm. It was too perfect. Death could change the tide while her sister's guard was down.

She sensed him coming to consciousness long before he actually fully awoke, but only stood there to let him let his bearings.

"Why do I feel like I've be run over by a thousand Cerberuses?"

Death turned around and drifted back over to the bed at that point, lying a hand on Yue's chest to stop him from moving before saying, "Now I'll I have none of that yet. Rest while you can. I came very close to putting you out your misery."

In hindsight, Death probably shouldn't have said it like that, even though it was the truth, for Yue immediately narrowed his eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Death."

Yue was silent and for a while, Death wondered if he were so shocked that he couldn't talk. When she carefully observed him though, Death realized he was only trying to figure out how to respond. Finally he sighed, closing his eyes, an exasperated looking crossing his features.

"What did she do?"

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><p>It was such strange weather, a wonder the power hadn't gone out really. But this wasn't normal. That much Yukito knew. This was some type of magical disturbance. Whatever it had been seemed to have calmed down now, at least enough so that Yukito was willing to try to phone Toya again. He had lost his cell phone again, and so headed for the house phone. As he passed the front door, he stopped. Something outside it was compelling him to open it.<p>

He shook his head, trying to shake the feeling off as he went to the phone and then rolled his shoulders as the feeling persisted. Yukito sighed and went back to the door, this time swinging it open to find Sakura sitting in front of it, leaning on the railing of the stairs, and soaking wet.

"Sakura!" he said surprised.

She only looked up, and if Yukito didn't know any better, he'd think she wasn't even aware she was there.

"Hey," she said.

"What are you doing?" Yukito asked confused. "And why are you soaking wet? Have you been out in the storm?"

Sakura sighed leaning her head back and closing her eyes. "It couldn't be helped."

Sakura then opened her eyes and asked, "Can I come in?"

Of course Yukito wouldn't deny her. She didn't even have to ask. He stood aside, and Sakura stood up starting to go inside. She stopped just outside the doorway saying, "WINDY!"

The wind blew around Sakura, and when it was gone, she was mostly dry, although still a little damp. Then she went into the house and made herself comfortable on the couch. Yukito bypassed the phone going to the kitchen.

"Want some tea?" he asked.

"Have any hot chocolate?" Sakura replied. "I'm in the mood for hot chocolate."

Yukito nodded, keeping an eye on Sakura. He rarely saw her like this, so utterly stressed out. Sure that last few weeks had been hard on her, but she was always optimistic about the situation. But now she seemed to have lost hope, seemed broken somehow, and it had nothing to do with Yue, even though she had been acting weird since then too.

He sat her hot chocolate in front of her, but Sakura didn't reach for it, only continued to stare at her lap. For a while he let her, not sure what to say. It seemed like one misplaced word could cheer her up or send her deeper into her despair.

Finally he said, "Sakura."

Sakura jumped, almost like she had forgotten he was there.

"Oh… Sorry Yukito," she said and reached for her chocolate. She rested her hand on the cup only, not picking it up.

"What's going on?" he asked and then when she didn't answer he said, "Does it have anything to do with this weird storm?"

Sakura looked at him and then back down at her drink, her hand still resting on the cup. She pulled it away a little, and that was when Yukito noticed it was trembling. Slowly, she pulled her hand back, and unable to compose herself any longer, no longer able to keep up her brave mask, a sob escaped the girl.

Yukito had to say, he was taken by surprise at first. She had seemed kind of indifferent at first, not really seeming to be feeling anything besides numb, and now all of a sudden she was crying. Regardless of his surprise though, Yukito was certain that she needed comfort and so he went over and sat next to Sakura pulling her to his chest.

"It's all my fault. Everything's a mess because of me," Sakura choked through her sobs.

"Sakura… What?"

At that point, everything else she was lost on Yukito though he was sure he heard something about Marie, life and death, and some disaster she would cause if she didn't fix what she had messed up. After her tirade, she sighed, no longer crying, but still seeming to feel lousy.

After a while she said, "This isn't fair. What did I do to deserve all this? I must have messed up big time in a past life or something."

Finally, Yukito thought to himself. Something he understood and could actually answer.

"It's nothing you've done Sakura," he said to her. "None of this is because of anything you've done."

"That's easy for you to say," Sakura grumbled.

Yukito sighed and pushed Sakura away so they could face each other.

"No it's not Sakura. Life," Yukito began noticing Sakura flinch a little at the word but ignoring it, "isn't easy for anyone and sometimes things just happen."

"But why? Why do bad things have to happen to good people?"

Yukito answered as though it was the simplest things in the world. "Because it makes us want to keep living."

Sakura tilted her head in confusion at that. And seeing this, Yukito continued, "Well, I don't think we'd appreciate the good times as much if it weren't for the bad times that accompany it, don't you think?"

Sakura shrugged. "I don't know… I used to I guess. But nothing this bad has ever happened."

Yukito wasn't even sure exactly what had happened, although he had a feeling he'd find out in the next coming days one way or another.

"Sakura, things happen sometimes, and we just have to accept it you know."

"Ignore it you mean?"

"No," Yukito said with a smile. "You can't ignore when bad things happen and sometimes you can't fix them. But the thing is to learn to accept it. You can't stop life from happening Sakura. And even with all the magic in the world can't fight it."

"Hm," Sakura said. "Maybe. But if you can't fight life with magic, what can you fight it with? How does anyone defeat life…?"

Yukito frowned. "Sakura…"

Sakura blinked and gave a tired smile. "It's nothing Yukito… Just-"

Thunder cracked in the sky, shaking the apartment and causing the lights to blink. Yukito looked out the window.

"Looks like the storm is back huh Sakura?"

Sakura nodded, narrowing her eyes at it, and then tightened her fist. "Yeah… I guess it is."

Out of nowhere, Sakura bolted out her seat and ran for the door.

"Sakura. Where are you going? You can't go back out in that?"

"I'll explain later. I promise. Thanks for helping… and for the hot chocolate."

"Wait a minute-"

"It's a magic thing Yukito," was the last thing Sakura said before Yukito heard the door slam shut again.

He stared in the direction he had gone in confusion for a moment and then smiled as he took up her untouched cup of hot chocolate.

"Never down for long, that Sakura," he muttered. Whatever she was dealing with, he was sure she'd be just fine.

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><p>Yue found himself with a horrible headache coming on. He would sometimes joke to Sakura when she was trying to get him to stop being so protective and watchful of her that if he left her alone for too long, she'd end up causing disaster. He had never really meant it. It had been a joke. Even she, as reckless and curious as she was, couldn't <em>unwittingly<em> cause that much damage.

He had been wrong.

"So you're Death," Yue began just to make sure he got the gist of the spirit's story.

"The personification of it anyway," Death said.

"And your sister Life is wreaking havoc outside because Sakura summoned her in a bold attempt to try and conquer her. In the chaos you killed Marie."

"No. I just did my job."

"And now Sakura's disappeared because you scared her when you killed Marie."

"I told you. I didn't kill her. It's-"

Yue lifted a hand to cut Death off.

"Well I suppose something good came out of all this. Marie's dead. That's one less problem."

"I'm glad you see it my way. Can you explain that to your mistress for me?"

Yue sighed. "She'll see it eventually. It's wasted breath trying to convince her. Now why are you here?"

Death groaned. "Just because I think Marie was better off dead doesn't mean I like the way Life tricked me into it. She always wins, and the only thing I'm usually allowed to do is try to temper her personality or get people out of the way. I wasn't supposed to…"

Death trailed off, but Yue got the point.

"You brought me back."

Death didn't answer only turned to the window where the two could see the clear skies slowly darkening again.

"Life's going to royally pissed when she finds out what I did, which means that Sakura has no choice but to seal us now," she said. "And she has to do it before the magic that's temporarily grounding us here runs out."

"When is that?"

"Not long… A few more hours. I can feel it. But I have a feeling this fight will end way before that, at least I hope."

Yue didn't say anything, not sure what to make of the spirit. She was certainly benevolent, at least more benevolent than her sister it appeared, but he wasn't sure what to make of her. Despite her kindness, she didn't betray much of anything. If he could understand the spirit a little more, maybe…

"Pondering isn't going to help you figure it out. So if you have something you want to know from me, just ask."

Death thought she may have to pry it out of him, but she guessed she underestimated his curiosity about all this.

"If you knew you were going to risk angering you sister more, why didn't you just let me die?"

Death hadn't met a person quite like the moon guardian either she realized. She had just brought him from the brink of death, practically admitted in her earlier explanation that she almost took him away from this world and here he was acting like nothing had happened. Death couldn't help it. She had to ask.

"This doesn't bother you at all."

"What doesn't?"

"The fact that I was about a second away from deciding to take you, wanted to do it days ago if it weren't for your mistress, and decided to bring you back anyway."

Her tone could have been called sarcastic, but Yue wasn't sure.

"I'm serious moon child," Death said ignoring the way Yue's eyebrow twitched when she called him a child.

"There are some things worse than death," Yue said a sad smile playing his lips as he looked outside where Life's storm was beginning to brew again. "And apparently, you aren't as bad as people think. I used to wish for it a long time ago…"

Death huffed. "It's that Clow Reed isn't it? Something he did is worse than me," she said and not expecting Yue to answer she continued. "I've got to hand it to him. He was a brilliant man. Played my sister's game well, but the guy had a lot of issues. He wasn't as bad as Marie, but I wasn't that fond of him either. Good thing he let me take him when he did, though I have to say, I hardly agreed with the way he did it, the way he did a lot of things."

Death then added, "But it wasn't just that girl keeping you alive. You fought it to. Both of you kept me away. You live for her, don't you? Not just to protect her, but to love her."

"Yes."

The answer was simple, but said a lot to Death, made her more certain of the risky decision she had made.

"Now will you answer my question?"

Death didn't say anything for a while, and Yue took it that she was trying to carefully choose her words. Finally she said, "I was supposed to, take you I mean. People as pure-hearted as the card mistress are few and far in between, but they all have the same problem. They're naïve. Don't tell her this, but I should have let you die, I was going to let you die. It was supposed to be a reality check. Everything will not be alright. Someone always loses and someone always wins. That's just how life plays her game.

"But people like that are also dangerous to mess with. Sure she probably would have defeated my sister but then I would have been left with a disillusioned powerful sorceress and well… I don't need my sister to have her field day with that one. So I guess you could say reviving you was a win-win situation," Death added then said, "You and that girl are like two sides of a coin. You complement each other, take up for each other's weaknesses and so I figured that she doesn't need a tragedy or a dose of a reality check. You do just fine… Or at least that's how I'm justifying all this. The truth is I can't bear the thought of hurting someone like her. I'm fonder of her than I should be," Death admitted.

"She has that kind of effect on people."

"You should know, shouldn't you?" Death asked and then headed back towards the window, eyes narrowing as thunder boomed in the again dark sky.

"Your sister?" Yue asked.

Death nodded. "Sorry about rushing this all on you, but we don't have a lot of time. We need to go."

Yue sighed. "So who are we going to find? Your sister or Sakura…"

Death laughed lightly, and Yue guessed it was because of the tone in which he'd said Sakura's name. He wasn't even going to try to hide his displeasure and exasperation with her at the moment.

"Doesn't matter. Where we find one, we'll definitely find the other," Death said.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> This chapter actually didn't turn out the way I originally planned. Originally, Syaoran found Sakura and talked some sense into her, but then I changed it on the fly. Also, that kiss of death thing was a last minute inclusion as I wrote this, and I just wrote this maybe two and a half weeks ago… Yeah, it's pretty fresh. In any case, Yue's back and I can relax for a minute before my class this afternoon since my early one was cancelled.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	27. LIFE & DEATH

**AN: **It's been a long week, so I'm a little relieved to be doing something I want to do after a whole week of school, studying, chores, and everything else, if only for a moment. So without further delay,

Read, enjoy, and review!

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-seven<br>LIFE and DEATH**

Sakura needed that. She would never know why she had gone to her brother and Yukito's apartment. Maybe because she didn't think Life would follow her there or maybe because she just needed to get away from all of the magic for a while and of all the people she knew, Yukito and Toya were the best bet. Either way, she ended up sitting in front of the door, not having the nerve or will to knock on the door. She hadn't known how Yukito had known she was outside. She had been quiet as a mouse. Nor did she know how he knew exactly what needed to be said to get her moving again. Either way, the point was Sakura was ready to face Life again… Well not necessarily ready, but she needed to. She couldn't run from Life, nor could she ignore the spirit.

She had been pondering it ever since she left Yukito and her brother's apartment. For all Yukito's ignorance in the area of magic, he had a point. She couldn't fight Life with magic, could she? Life could control and combat everything in her arsenal, every card, every spell.

"It would seem like it would be easy to find someone who's mad at me for forcing her here," Sakura said dryly as she searched for the wayward spirit.

"I was just waiting for you to call me. I'm always here."

The said spirit personified herself in front of Sakura, the same void expression on the spirit's face, black dress billowing in the wind. Life tilted her head and if Sakura didn't know any better, she could have sworn the woman frowned.

"I have to admit. You're one of those humans that perplex me card mistress," Life admitted

"Hoe?" Sakura asked.

"When it seems like I've gotten to you or stopped you dead in your tracks, you always manage to come back. You even managed to shatter my shield. What is it that makes you come back for more, even after I've proven that I'm too much for you to control, too much for you to handle? I really did think I'd have to come find you myself. But you're much bolder than those that have faced me before."

Sakura was beginning to understand what Death meant when she said her sister was bipolar. Though she detected that the spirit was no less wrathful, it appeared that the spirit's wrath had now been tempered out with curiosity, something that hadn't been present before. This made her no less intimidating. In fact, it made the spirit scarier.

"You're not easily discouraged are you?" Life finally asked.

Sakura shook her head.

"Hm… Then it appears I'll have to take a more direct approach and force you to give up."

The woman's eyes turned black, the same color as her dress and the ankh around her neck glowed.

One by one, twisters came out of the sky and hit the ground, and for a moment, Sakura could only gape at the display in shock. Death had said that her sister could control every force of nature before, but until now Life had done nothing Sakura hadn't already seen before when capturing the cards.

Then she noticed the swirling winds were moving toward her. Sakura flew out the way.

"You can't run. I'll just find you wherever you go," Life said to the girl as a twister dropped right in her line of escape.

Sakura gasped and the spirit appeared in front of her again saying, "What's the point of not giving up if all you're going to do is run from me. You may as well give up right now."

Sakura gripped her staff and shook her head. She'd never give up. But how in the world did she beat Life? How in the world did she fight something that could use the very air she breathed and lived in against her? The spirit had every resource a person could think of…

And so did she, Sakura realized beginning to mentally go through every card she possessed.

_"The fear that anyone, no matter how powerful could actually manage to control her was irrational; until recently that is."_

Sakura had never really thought about what Death said in the hotel room when she was trying to convince her to fight Life. She thought the woman was just trying to convince her that she was powerful enough to subdue the spirit. But if that were the case, any other sorcerer with a few centuries more of experience could have done so. Marie could have done so. The reason Death had been so confident in Sakura because just like Life, she too had every resource anyone could get their hands on in the form of the most powerful magic she possessed. Her cards.

Sakura set her jaw in determination, calling two cards to her hands.

"WINDY, STORM!"

Life only tilted her head.

"Help me take control of Life's weather storm."

That was a combo she had never used together, specifically because she hadn't encountered many sorcerers who could control the weather, at least not to this degree. But it seemed to work. WINDY and STORM combined their forces together and shot into the sky. The twister rose back up into the air, no longer a threat to Sakura, but the storm got worse; however, unlike before, where Life hadn't seemed to be affected by it before, now her dress was billowing violently, hair slapping her face as a result of the harsh winds and pelting rains.

The storm felt different now. Instead of just feeling Life's distinct presence in the storm, now Sakura's magical aura was present. The result of the two opposing forces clashing made the weather grow worse. But at least now it was affecting Life.

"Hm," Life said nonplussed. "Now things get interesting."

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><p>"Do you feel that?" Death asked as she stopped to float in the air. Yue floated beside her, protected from the storm by the spirit's shield.<p>

"Feel what?"

"The air is charged with two types of magic now," Death said. "My sister's and Sakura's. This is about to get ugly."

"As if it's not already."

Death smiled. "You're such a cynic, just like my sister."

Thunder boom in the sky and lightning cracked in the air.

Death frowned. "It's probably not a good idea for us to stay in the air," she said.

"How will we get to your sister and Sakura?"

Death shrugged as they landed on the wet ground. "I can teleport. But the problem is I don't know where they are. Normally it might be easy but… I seem to be feeling my sister and Sakura's presence everywhere at once."

Yue understood the feeling. At this rate and in this mess, they'd never find anyone.

"What's that?"

Death and Yue looked up to where the voice was coming from just in time to see Cerberus land in front of the two with Tomoyo and Syaoran on his back.

"Death, have you found Sakura yet?" Syaoran asked her.

Death began to respond, but Yue beat her to it saying, "We can't pinpoint their presence. Their auras seems to be masking the entire city."

It was at that point that everyone noticed exactly who was standing next to the spirit. Cerberus' comment seemed to snap everyone else out their stupor.

"Back from the dead I see."

Death shook her head. "He wasn't dead. No one can come back from the dead, unless it's through reincarnation but that's more of a reuse of the soul than the actual person. A lot of rules surrounding that too…"

Tomoyo jumped off Cerberus' back ran though Death's shield and hugged Yue, who made a sound of irritation before sighing and allowing the girl to hold him.

"Oh thank goodness! Sakura's going to be so relieved. In fact-Oh wait a minute. Sakura!"

Yue gently pushed Tomoyo off of him and looked both she and Syaoran over. "There's not much any of you can do about it safely in this storm. You all are much more fragile than Death, Cerberus and I."

Syaoran shook his head. "This is nothing compared to east of here. It's much worse that way."

"Worse?" Death and Yue asked before exchanging a look.

"At least now we know where they are," Death said just as lightning crashed on the sky again this time the ground vibrating only slightly under their feet.

Yue turned to Cerberus. "Take them somewhere out of this mess. Death and I will find Sakura."

Cerberus snickered. "You know it's amazing that you almost died, Death brings you back, and instead of having some epiphany about life, it's back to being the same old Yue who can find it in himself after all of this to be angry at Sakura."

Yue didn't say anything, only crossed his arms and went back to stand next to Death. Then just before Cerberus took off he said, "Does it show that much?"

"No," Cerberus said grinning. "I just know you too well."

* * *

><p>Life's ankh glowed again and this time the rain began to swirl around her, creating a large aqua-sphere around her. Not only did it protect her from the harsh elements of the storm, but also gave her a new weapon.<p>

Sakura could hardly move out the way in time as suddenly what looked like sharp ice shards came out the sphere. Actually, it was just water, but Life had manipulated it into moving so fast that water became a deadly weapon, like knives.

But the rain was severely restricting Sakura's movements, and as a result, one of the water knives nicked her in the arm. It burned about as much as, if not more than, it would have if Sakura had placed her arm on a hot stove.

"SHIELD!"

She hadn't wanted to resort to using SHIELD, but she had no choice now, not with the way Life was now manipulating the water to aid her.

"Hm…" Life muttered in regards to SHIELD, like she wasn't at all impressed.

Sakura wasn't trying to keep SHIELD in play any longer that she had to. The energy and magic she was using for that was energy she could be spending combating everything that Life threw at her.

Sakura snapped her fingers.

"Turn Life's sphere into solid ice, FREEZE!"

Life again only manipulated the sphere to shoot sharp water knives at Sakura again, and while FREEZE was turning that into ice, Sakura let the attack bounce right off of SHIELD. However, not only did FREEZE manage to freeze Life's sphere, but the magic mixed with the weather already in play causing the very rain to freeze. In hindsight, that probably hadn't been a good idea. Rain Sakura could deal with, but not ice!

However, as a result of the rain turning into hard solid pieces of ice, they began to batter on Life's now frozen shield and the spirit looked up. Sakura would have called it surprise if she could sense any emotion from the spirit. Life, noticing her icy shield was about to crack, only looked back at Sakura, her ankh glowing again. Glowing cracks began to appear on the ice and spread until they covered the entire sphere.

"Uh-oh," Sakura said having a feeling what was coming next.

She wasn't disappointed. The entire sphere glowed once more and then with such speed that Sakura couldn't have gotten out the way even if she wanted, they flew into and through SHIELD.

Just the wind and force of the attack was enough to knock Sakura back, causing her to drop towards the ground some before she was able to gain her bearings back again. But just barely, for Life, taking advantage of Sakura's disorientation, caused an electric bolt to drop out of the storm. Sakura belatedly realized it was lightning.

"Hoe!" Sakura said, having no time to move out the way and instinctively called out her next card. "THUNDER!"

She hadn't said her intent for that one, but it was apparently clear enough that THUNDER combated the bolt of lightning before it hit Sakura, and then directly attacked Life. Life blocked with another bolt of lightning, and sent five more right behind the other.

Though Sakura was able to combat it easily enough, it was getting increasingly dangerous to stay in the air and so she decided to land on the street below them. Apparently this had been Life's plan because just as her feet touched the ground, it began to shake and large rock formations began to literally shoot out the ground.

Sakura screamed that time, narrowly missing getting thrown back in the air by one of the rocks. Between DASH and JUMP, Sakura avoided the rocks, a hard feat to accomplish though because if she got too close into the sky, Life sent one of her lightning bolts her way. Too close to the ground and she risked getting hit by one of the rocks. It was only a matter of time before she slipped up though. Sakura knew, and Life knew it.

When she did, it was only that she didn't get enough out the way, but the rock dd its damage. It hit her in her side throwing her back onto the sidewalk.

"Damn it," Sakura muttered. "I'm going to feel that in the morning."

"If you make it to morning," Life's voice said and then the rock formations began to rise out the ground again, heading right for Sakura along with one of Life's lightning bolts.

"WOODY, THUNDER!"

Again, she didn't have to specify her intent. It was clear enough. WOODY made her way through the rock formations, effectively halting the ground attack, while THUNDER crashed directly into the lightning bolt, the power behind both attacks causing an explosion that threw Sakura back and even disturbed Life, but Sakura's magic wasn't the only thing that was starting to disturb the spirit.

"How is it you do it?" the spirit asked and continued not waiting for Sakura to answer as she said, "Everything I send your way you've managed to combat so far. No one has lasted this long."

"Because we have the same power," Sakura said. "Everything you can dish out at me, I can do just the same."

"That may be true, but there's one thing I can't do that you can, the one reason I always win," Life said coming to stand, float rather, directly in front of Sakura.

"What?" Sakura asked cautiously.

"Die," Life said and then her ankh glowed. "You'll grow tired of me soon."

"That's enough, Life."

Death caught the attention of both Sakura and Life. The woman was floating to the side of them.

"Oh look. My dear sister's here to do her job when you finally give up since there's nothing she can do besides her job," Life said.

Sakura shook her head, finally standing back to her feet. "She won't have to, because I won't let her. I won't give up until I defeat you."

If Life could manage to look surprised, the subtle turn of her lips was the equivalent of doing so.

"Then so be it," Life said as her ankh glowed, the sky darkening so much that Sakura could hardly see in front of her, let alone see any attack that Life sent at her. That only meant now she'd have to rely completely on her magical senses.

She sensed the rock formations coming up out the ground towards her before she heard them and this time called on EARTHY to combat the attack. The two forces crashed into each other sending rocks and pieces of earth flying into the air. Life only faltered for half a second before taking advantage of the wood that had stopped one of her attacks before. It glowed in conjunction with her ankh before lashing out at Sakura who jumped out the way, only for the branches to shoot upward and knock her out the air.

If it weren't so dark, Sakura could have easily adjusted to land on her feet. But as it was, she wasn't sure where she would be landing if she did. So she braced herself for the fall that was sure to come.

Only it didn't, or at least she thought it didn't. She had to be dreaming or dead one, because she looking up into very familiar the silvery blue eyes. She was silent for a long time, trying to figure it out. But she wasn't sure of anything and so finally she said, "Is this a dream…?"

He sighed patiently with her, something about it sounding very irritated, before he said, "No… And you're not dead either."

Sakura wasn't sure she could trust it. For all she knew this could be part of Life's game, or it really was a dream. But then again she wouldn't feel the wind and the rain this vividly if this was a dream. So this meant that she wasn't dead or dreaming, and that also meant…

"Yue," she whispered and then raised her hand to touch his face, run her hands through his bangs. She had to make sure he wasn't going to disappear, that this wasn't part of Life's cruel game.

"I'm here."

The world could have been falling apart around Sakura. The world _was_ falling apart around Sakura in fact, but not even that could divert her attention as she latched her arms around Yue's neck and pulled herself up so she could press herself against him in a tight embrace, while muttering into his neck, "How… What…?"

"We'll discuss it later," he replied and something about the way he said it made her cringe. She had a feeling that some way, somehow, Yue was not happy with her.

"What's this?"

Sakura was brought back to the reality of the entire situation when she heard Life's voice, but it was different this time. The carefully indifferent and controlled tones were shaky to say the least, and Life looked surprised. Sakura wasn't just assuming that based on what she was sensing from the spirit either. Life actually _looked_ surprised.

"How did this happen? How is it that you're not…" Life trailed off, eyes landing on her sister.

"You did this." It wasn't a question.

Death shrugged.

Life's face contorted into a wrathful scowl, hair and dress billowing wildly with her power. Sakura winced, pressing herself back into Yue's embrace at the rage she felt coming from the card.

"You dare interfere!"

"Not at all," Death said simply. "This isn't interfering. You see Life. There's one power you don't have. You're allowed to do whatever you want, but you can't take anyone's life, even for the sake of your game. That's in my jurisdiction."

"You…" Life trailed off.

"You have about as much sway in which lives I decide to take or not as I have in what you decided to do in your game. I did nothing wrong."

Life faltered in the air, letting the wind push her back a few inches before she gained her composure. But she still stared at her sister in silence, like she couldn't comprehend what the other spirit was saying. Then her ankh glowed violently, so bright it was almost blinding. But Sakura was hardly aware of it now as she let go of Yue and turned to face Life. She knew how to subdue the spirit, if only temporarily. In fact…

Lightning crash into the ground and the area erupted into flame, a reflection of what was now Life's rage.

"Well if she won't play by the rules, I'll make this so hard you'll beg my sister to take you away from all of this," Life said.

"WATERY! FIREY!" Sakura yelled. "Work together to contain Life's flames."

"Always something," Life said, her anger at her sister having got the best of her.

"Exactly," Sakura shouted over the wind.

"What are you talking about? We may have the same powers, but I'm still more powerful than you. You humans don't last forever. Even stars burn out," Life pointed out.

"But Death is on my side."

It was a simple phrase. Nothing deep about it. Death had been helping Sakura along as much as she possibly could without interfering all along, but obviously Sakura's statement had impact, made Life realize something, a look of horrified disbelief crossing her features.

"Death is on your side," she repeated quietly. "That's not…" Life trailed off, sinking to the ground. The darkness she had summoned fading and the storm lessening, giving Sakura the chance to call back all the cards she had summoned since Life was no longer actively attacking her.

"You… You won. You beat me," Life said flabbergasted. "But how… Why would my sister…?"

Sakura sighed in relief, relaxing a little now that Life seemed to be so intent on figuring out how she had let herself be defeated that she wasn't getting angry that she had been. It didn't last long.

"Sakura. Now!" Death said going to her sister's side. "Seal us while she's got some sense!"

"Oh right!" Sakura said summoning the last of her strength. It was almost over. She summoned two blank cards to her hand and threw them into the air, both hanging over Life, who was still looking despondent, and Death, who looked relieved. "Attach yourself to the item I've selected you to be hosted under the name LIFE and DEATH!" Sakura yelled the wind picking up around her as she the cards glowed. The two sisters turned into white and black wisp of energy, swirling around each other before going into their respective cards. As this was happening, all Life's magic was being undone with her capturing, her magic and havoc following behind her.

"LIFE! DEATH! I enter into a binding contract and seal you under the name of your master, Sakura! Seal!"

The cards began to glow pale pink, but Life's card began to take on a black aura, signaling that the spirit inside was struggling against its binding, and therefore causing Death to do the same.

"SEAL!" Sakura said one more time hoping beyond hope that Life would give up, that she would accept she had been beaten. The wind picked up all of a sudden as a result of the struggle going on between the two cards and Sakura.

Sakura huffed, fed up with the spirit's attitude. "Darn it Life! Just stop being so stubborn and let me seal you already!"

The harsh words had more effect than any magic command could have. The black tinges in the pink aura around the card went away, causing the card to glow completely pink for a moment before it faded, leaving two pink cards floating in the air.

Cautiously, Sakura held her hand out for them, almost afraid that they might explode or unleash as soon as she touched them. They didn't. They were just like holding the other cards.

She let out a sigh of relieve and almost immediately regretted that. With LIFE and DEATH sealed and the crisis over, the exhaustion she didn't know she was feeling rushed over her and Sakura stumbled with the realization before exhaling once more, the remaining magic that kept her air borne giving way as her body shut down on her, and sent her into a blissful sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Not certain what happened? That's fine. I wasn't certain either. But it all comes to light in the next chapter.

Speaking of that, I was thinking that since I only have two more chapters to post, how about I update tomorrow with the next chapter and then Monday this can be done, completed, and I can work on my other fic which I'll give you a preview of after the last chapter. Either that or I'll just update Monday and then Friday next week. Whatever you prefer. Hold on… Well of course I know what you prefer. **7 reviews by the end of the day **and since it's after twelve here, and some of you don't get a moment to breathe until after ten p.m. (at least I rarely do), I'll give an extra hour so that's 1 a.m. US Eastern Standard time.

Anyway, I had a terrible time writing this until the end, but me and climatic battles generally don't get along anyway. It takes me forever to write them. I'll leave you all to decide what you think. I was pretty happy with it in the end, especially because the last two chapters literally came out in an hour after I finished the end of this. Figures. Anyway I really have to go write my essay. No more procrastinating. No more procrastinating… Tsh. Who am I kidding? I won't finish it until the night before it's due.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	28. Blackmail

**AN: **When I agreed to do this early I forgot the fact that I would be gone all day for the most part. Sigh… So here I am updating this morning while about to rush out the door. Nothing to say about this until the end. So,

Read, enjoy, and review!

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><p><strong>Chapter Twenty-eight<br>Blackmail**

The first thing she heard was laughter and that was enough to wake her up to see what was going on. She looked around, not quite able to find where it was coming from, so she sat up onto her knees, trying to find the source.

"It's pretty isn't it?"

Sakura jumped and then relaxed when she saw Death sitting next to her, hands in her lap.

"What?" Sakura asked.

"The meadow. It's pretty," Death said.

Sakura stopped looking for where the noise was coming from and focused on her surroundings instead. It was a beautiful meadow filled with flowers, large rock formations, and trees scattered about here and there.

"Yeah," Sakura said relaxing a little. Death would explain all this. "It is."

"My sister can be a real messed up force sometimes, but it's when I see things like this that I'm reminded that she also has the capability for extreme compassion and caring," Death said picking at the grass in front of her.

Sakura gazed at the meadow and then lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry."

Death looked at her, hair blowing lightly in the breeze. "For what?"

"What I did… I shouldn't have done thought that I could possibly conquer you and your sister."

Death smiled. "But you did in the end, which means you had the power to do it all along. No harm done. Life's damage has been undone. No casualties, no losses. In fact, most mortals don't remember a thing."

"Still," Sakura said. "I should release you. I don't want that power. I never did. The only reason I even considered it was because-"

"My sister and I will trust that you won't abuse your authority over us. In fact, I doubt you'll ever call on us again. Besides, it wouldn't be wise of you to release us. My sister holds grudges, and she may or may not make your life hell if you set us free."

"May or may not?"

Death grinned. "Between you and me, I think my sister is quite fond of you, mistress. She'll never admit it though. But she won't have to. Life has a way of saying a lot without speaking at all."

"Kind of like Yue then," Sakura said and then frowned. "Why did you bring him back? Why did you help me?"

Death shrugged. "Don't think much of it. I was doing my job. Keeping him alive worked better in the favor of humanity than having him die."

Sakura smiled. "You won't admit it either."

Death didn't reply to Sakura's declaration, but said, "Out of curiosity though, how did you know how to defeat my sister?"

"It was when you brought Yue back."

Death raised an eyebrow, and Sakura continued, "You may have done it for the sake of the big picture, but the fact was that it also meant you had no intention of letting me die so long as I was willing to fight. After that, it was only a matter of convincing Life that for that reason, I had more power than she did, because you said it yourself. Life can't decide who stays and who goes. That's your decision which meant I was immortal for that moment and immortality means beating life's game."

"So it wasn't so much her thinking you could defeat her as it was realizing she had been outwitted. It broke your stalemate," Death said. "Not many sorcerers could have come up with that."

The two sat in silence again, content to enjoy the breeze for a while before Death gently clapped her hands together and said, "By the way I have to warn you that your moon guardian is not very happy with you at the moment. Proceed to talk to him with caution," Death said seeming amused.

Sakura cringed. It was rare that Yue got truly angry with her. It was only when she did something that may have recklessly and unnecessarily put her life in danger that he directed his anger toward her… This whole ordeal made the cut and then some.

"He hasn't once left your side though. I think he'll be so relieved that you're okay he'll forget."

"You obviously don't know Yue," Sakura said dryly.

Death laughed and stood up, "Don't worry. Everything will definitely be alright."

Sakura stood next to Death to get a better view of the meadow and heard the laughter again, closer this time and finally saw what looked like children. She wasn't sure how many. They ran by so fast it had been a blur. But she did see one, lagging behind the others, black hair blowing in the wind behind her, and not appearing to want to play the others' game.

"Give it back!" she yelled.

"But this book is so boring _MaMa-chan_. Come play with us."

The girl groaned, turning on her heals, not appearing to see Sakura or Death. Sakura frowned upon seeing the girl's face from the side.

The girl stomped her foot in frustration before crossing her arms and scowling. Then she said, "Ugh! They get away with everything!"

Death laughed. "_Kawaii!_ Don't you think so mistress?"

"Where are we?" Sakura asked ignoring the question. "That girl… She looks just like my mother."

Death smiled. "Not quite. Look a little closer."

Sakura slowly walked forward coming up the side of the girl. She reached out to touch her shoulder, but stopped a few inches away. The girl seemed to sense it anyway and turned to look in Sakura's direction, with a look of wonderment. Sakura's mouth fell open.

"_MaMa-chan_! What are you doing?" the other child from before yelled.

The girl shook her head and ran off yelling, "I'm telling Papa!" leaving Sakura to stare after her.

"That girl," Sakura said as Death came to stand beside her. "She has… Her eyes are like Yue's."

"Just a little glimpse into the future. I thought you deserved it," Death said gently and then grabbed Sakura's hand, holding it like a dear friend would. Her cross began to glow, so much so that Sakura was blinded and all she could see was the light.

"Your life won't be without hardships, for that is the nature of my sister," Death's voice said. "But you'll have a nice long happy life and when you grow tired of it, call on me, and I will take you away."

Sakura closed her eyes against the light and that was all it took for her to be pulled back to the real world. She leaned back into the pillow on her bed, humming at not just the warmth the bed provided, but also her vision with Death. _MaMa-chan_ was what the other girls had called her. What was that short for?

"Who's that?"

Sakura opened her eyes and sat up, not aware anyone was in the room, not even aware of whose room she was in.

"What?" she asked.

"You said _MaMa-chan_. Who's that?"

Sakura looked over to the direction the question had come from to see Yue sitting by the window of his room. She was at home in his room.

"Oh… No one," Sakura said. There would be a time to reveal Death's vision later. Sakura started to speak again until she became very aware of the pounding in her head.

She fell back on the bed.

"Ow," she said. "My head."

Yue huffed as he stood up and made his way over to the table, where there was some warm water and a cloth. He took it out, folded it and laid it on her head before saying, "Is that better?"

Sakura nodded very aware of Yue's icy tone with her and then, remembering Death's words, sighed.

"You're mad at me aren't you?" she asked.

The subtle twitch of Yue's eyebrow said it all.

"I'm sorry," said Sakura.

Yue huffed again, crossing his arms this time. Sakura thought he would go back to the window and stay silent, and he looked like he was about to before he sighed and asked, "Sorry?"

He rolled his eyes then, and Sakura cringed. That was never a good sign. Sakura started to talk again, but Yue cut her off.

"You almost died!" he finally snapped. "By the time you finished sealing those God be damned cards you may as well have been. I could hardly feel your heartbeat. Even Eriol was doubtful that you'd come out of this alive after using that kind of magic."

"How long was I out?" Sakura asked softly, feeling like she was twelve again. But she had been expecting this kind of reaction.

"A week," Yue replied and then looked at something lying on the bedside table. Sakura followed his gaze to see the newest card, DEATH, leaning on the lamp. "I suppose she calls herself making sure you stayed alive."

Sakura smiled and then said, "I'm fine now. You can go. Thank you."

The card glowed and then disappeared, no doubt returning to the Sakura book with the rest of the cards.

"What were you thinking? Doing something as reckless as this, messing with magic as forbidden as this," Yue continued. "Really. I know you're reckless, but this…"

Yue put a hand over his eyes, the stress of this entire situation finally getting to him as he said, "Damn it Sakura."

Sakura sat back up again, slowly, and removed the cloth from her forehead. She stood up, shakily, and almost fell over until Yue caught her and sat her back on the bed, sitting stiffly next to her. She then rose up and wrapped her arms around him, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "But… I didn't want you to die."

"And that made you willing to either save me or die trying," Yue said curtly.

Sakura paused for a moment, closing her eyes before saying, "Yes."

Yue didn't answer, only wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes, leaning his head on hers before saying, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Sounds like something you would do."

"Does this mean you're not mad at me anymore?" Sakura asked hopefully. "After all, I'm fine. You're fine, and LIFE and DEATH are safely sealed away."

"Still doesn't change the fact that you did all that," Yue said evenly.

Sakura pulled back to look at him, a pout on her lips. "Don't be so mean. You forgive me, right?"

Yue looked away from her. "Stop looking at me like that. I'm supposed to be mad at you."

"Stop being a sour puss!"

Yue sighed, though it was more mocking than serious, and turned his gaze back to her. "Fine. Forgiven, but not forgotten."

"I guess I'll have to settle for that then," Sakura said and pressed her lips to his.

She had only intended for it to be a chaste kiss, for her head was still pounding, but the ache in her head left or was at least instantly forgotten as soon as she pressed her lips against his. Somewhere in both their subconscious, they realized there was nothing to interrupt them. No Marie, no attacks, no council. Despite the fact that Sakura should probably be resting, that knowledge egged them on. Sakura sat up slightly, opening her mouth to let Yue taste her mouth. Yue groaned as she pressed herself against him, and in response to his tongue exploring her mouth, she let a moan pass from her lips.

Yue toppled them both over, lying her on her back, kissing her a while longer before pulling away. Sakura pouted at the loss of contact, but figured she needed to take a breath anyway. After she had gained a second wind, she tried to lean forward for more, but Yue shook his head and pulled away.

Sakura's mouth fell open and she whined more so than demanded, "Why?"

Yue smirked as he stood up and headed to the door. "Call it punishment if you want. I'm still not happy with you."

Sakura groaned and then asked, "Are you ever going to let me live this down?"

"Ask me again in a century. Besides, you're still recovering."

He didn't wait for a reply, only left the room, leaving her to herself. She crossed her arms and huffed. Now what was she supposed to do. Her headache slowly returning reminded her that she was supposed to be recovering.

"Punishment," Sakura muttered. "See how long this lasts."

* * *

><p>If Sakura was at her full strength, she would have known that Yue had lied, at least partially. If they had continued, it wouldn't have been the first time they had gotten up to something while she was sick or supposed to be resting.<p>

And in all honesty, Yue wasn't _that_ angry at Sakura, just a little annoyed at her. Only she could cause this much recklessness and manage to fix it all, and over the years he had learned to expect as much from her. But messing with magic as forbidden as life and death went beyond recklessness. That was just suicidal. Sometimes he wondered if she were trying to get herself killed. Did she ever think of the consequences when she pulled such reckless stunts? And then what would he do? If she had died, and she very nearly had, her work to bring him back from the brink of death would have been in vain… So he was a little more than annoyed with her, a lot more than annoyed with her actually, but that was beside the point.

The real reason he had left the room was to deal with the woman whose presence he sensed. He was glad Sakura was too magically exhausted to sense it. She didn't need to deal with this.

Midha was waiting in the living room, having had the common decency to wait for them in the living room instead of coming upstairs. Cerberus was already down there, not looking very happy about the woman's presence.

"What do you want?" Yue asked bluntly with his arms crossed. A lot had happened while he was out of commission he had learned. Cerberus and Eriol explained the nature of the council's inaction during Sakura and Marie's feud, and he had been waiting for the chance to settle this problem himself. Sakura would never approve. But what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

"Where's your mistress?"

"Not well," Yue replied. "But alive."

"No thanks to you," Cerberus added dryly.

"I'd like it if you went and got her," Midha said.

"Now listen you-"

Yue cut Cerberus off saying, "You have some nerve."

It was truly chilling how Yue had spoken, and it surprised not only Midha, but also Cerberus. It was easy to forget that Yue wasn't always as warm a few years ago as he was now. Sakura had that effect on him, slowly but surely healing old wounds that were the result of the fiasco with Clow. It gave Cerberus a headache just thinking about it. Regardless, it could take a person off guard by how fast Yue could switch on his cold, unfeeling wall.

"You all are worse than Marie. At least everyone knew she was selfish and manipulative, but you all are a sly bunch," Yue pointed out and then added, "You know, DEATH is under my jurisdiction, and I'm sure she'd be more than happy to help get rid of the group causing her mistress all of this grief."

It wasn't official yet. In fact, it was likely Sakura would keep LIFE and DEATH under lock and key, allowing not even herself to wield them. But despite that fact, DEATH still fell under Yue's sign, so it wasn't a complete lie.

Midha huffed. "You couldn't and even if you could, your mistress wouldn't allow it."

"I could, I would, and I wouldn't feel any remorse."

"But you can't. So stop playing around and get your mistress."

"No Midha. I think today, you'll play on our terms."

"What are you getting at moon guardian?"

Something flashed in Yue's eyes, a certain slyness that he was loathe to admit he had gotten from Clow's influence, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Wouldn't it be a shame if the reality of this entire mess and the role the council played in this particular fiasco based on their inaction got out to the Li Clan or even the Reeds. Better yet, don't you have ties to some of the magic families in Egypt and India? It would be such a disgrace."

Midha's expression faltered for just a moment and then was back to usual superior expression, but this time her lips were turned down in a frown. It was obvious blackmail. And whether the accusations Eriol and Cerberus had told Yue about were true or not, the fact of the matter was the Magic Council hadn't even tried to resolve the feud between Marie and Sakura. The magical community would see it as an act of cowardice, and if the resulting consequences didn't cause a complete overhaul in magical procedure and rules, it would at the very least result in the removal and trial of the current members.

Midha had no choice.

"What do you want?"

"A complete pardon. Anything and everything that Sakura might have done before now is wiped completely off your records."

"Fine," Midha grumbled looking like she was about to leave but Yue stopped her.

"That's not all. You leave her completely alone. No silly write-ups just to spite her."

"You done yet?"

"Almost," Yue said seeming to be thoroughly enjoying himself. "Sakura and I need an exception, without all the crazy hassles, hearings, and technical stuff you might say we have to go through in the name of being proper."

"Wouldn't that fall under spite?" Cerberus asked, speaking for the first time having been enjoying the exchange.

"Just in case," Yue said. "And one last thing… Under no circumstance are you to ever come and try and manipulate Sakura into using her powers for the council's own benefit."

Midha rolled her eyes then, former composure lost. "Anything else?"

"I'll let you know," Yue said.

It was Yue's way of saying without outright spelling it out that the council no longer had any control of Sakura's affairs. It was either that or the council risked losing the illusion of control they had.

Midha didn't stick around any longer. There was nothing she could say to try and manipulate the situation to her favor, so there would have been no point. When she left, Cerberus turned to Yue a grin on his face as he said, "Sakura's not going to be happy when she finds out about this."

Yue didn't say anything for a moment, eyes darting away from Cerberus and back, proving that he had already calculated that. But instead of admitting that he said, "We both know that Sakura's too forgiving to try to hold this over the council's head. But if she wants any semblance of peace, the last thing she needs to worry about is the council. They may not try to kill anyone, but they can make a person's life about as miserable as Marie could have."

"She's going to learn that you did this one day," Cerberus said dryly.

Yue shrugged. "I know that. But I bought her a lot of time to strengthen her magic to the point where I won't even need to hang that over the council's head for them to back off."

Now that Cerberus thought about it, it was a good idea. In a few decades Sakura would be not only more powerful, but a lot more knowledgeable in the ways of magic. The council wouldn't even try to approach her with their manipulative politics.

"She's still not going to like it," Cerberus said, "Even if I agree with you."

"She doesn't have to like it. Besides, what else is the point of being a guardian if I can't make so she doesn't have to deal with people like the council."

Yue went back upstairs, no doubt to check on Sakura, and Cerberus shook his head, deciding to make a detour to the kitchen. Only Yue…

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Wait a minute! (Puts ear plugs in to muffle sound of screaming fan girls). Okay now proceed to squeal in delight….

Done yet? Okay. First things first for anyone who may not understand how this thing with Life went. Immortality defies life and death, because the point of Life's game is to wear a person down until Death decides to take them, but if Death refuses to take them and a person refuses to die, then technically that means that Life can never win, meaning she loses.

Next thing, that scene with Death and Sakura was one of the other scenes that this story was written around. Blame it on the fan girl in me. But I conceived that girl in my head years back, before I started writing fanfiction again and kind of put her away, but this gave me the perfect chance to reveal it.

Lastly, Eriol and Syoaran were supposed to be the ones who blackmailed Midha, but having Yue do it was much more fitting, not to mention fun. Anyway, the last chapter is Monday along with a preview of another story I'm working on and figure will be up this summer or late spring. In any case, let me finish this story Monday first. Then I'll talk about that.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please!


	29. Epilogue

**AN: **Oh wow… Can you believe this is the last chapter? It took a total of about thirteen weeks to get this all posted. That's three months. In those three months I've fretted over my grades (needlessly as it turns out), finished editing my original work for good and ready to ship it out to the world, made new friends on this site and elsewhere, and a lot of other things. Posting these stories actually makes time seem to fly by faster. In any case, this is the end, an epilogue really and not it doesn't take place years later. That's not my style. Anyway, we're still in the same summer, so

Read, enjoy, and review!

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><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

When it came to school work, Sakura had become the master of putting it off until she absolutely needed to do it. This time around it hadn't been her fault. With everything going on with Marie, she couldn't have gotten started on her summer homework if she wanted to. But now that everything was calm, she decided she may as well get started on it, even with three weeks and a half weeks of summer left. Not like she could play around with magic even if she wanted to. She was confined to the house for a while anyway, so she may as well make the most of it. Luckily, Tomoyo, Syaoran, and Meiling had been more than willing to keep her company for they too had their own homework to finish.

"Ugh," Sakura said. "This math is giving me a headache."

"Maybe you should put it away anyway Sakura. You've been having a lot of headaches anyway. Try again later," Tomoyo suggested.

"Maybe," Sakura said mentally reminding herself to never do something so magically and physically tasking again. She could live with being tired and even with her diminished magic, but headaches were terrible.

She started to try one more math problem before she put it away, but stopped halfway through it and not because of her steadily returning headache.

"Dominik," she muttered.

"Guess that means you're recovering nicely," the said sorcerer said coming into the room.

Sakura nodded and then said, "I was wondering where you had gotten to. Yue told me you kind of disappeared."

Dominik sighed. "It's been a right mess since my grandmother died and since I'm her heir, it all falls to me… officially anyway."

"Officially?" Sakura asked.

"She for all intents and purposes disowned me, but she never got a chance to put it in writing," Dominik said. "To be honest, I don't know if I want to inherit this. My grandmother left one hell of a mess. It's a wonder she had any kind of prestige and now with her dead and nothing to fear a lot of people who were closely tied to our family are severing ties while they can."

"Well at least she's dead. There's nothing she can possibly do to ruin the family name from the grave," Syaoran said dryly.

"Syaoran!" Sakura said.

"Well it's true," Meiling agreed. "Your family really is better off without her."

"They're both right," Dominik said before Sakura could chide them. "They're not offending me. The only reason I'm even having a memorial for her is out of respect that she was my grandmother. Other than that, I guess I'll do my best to fix this mess or else the entire family is in trouble."

Sakura smiled. "I'm sure your family will be fine. This will all blow over eventually. Actually, I'm surprised I haven't had a visit from the council yet…"

Dominik laughed and Sakura frowned asking, "What?"

"Nothing."

Sakura furrowed her eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"It's something to ask your moon guardian later," was all Dominik would say. "But I hope you're right and this does blow over."

Sakura shrugged. "Even if it doesn't, then use it as an opportunity to start over again. Don't let people force you into your mother's shadow. You're not like her. Show your remaining allies that."

"If I have any by the time this is all over…" Dominik muttered.

"You will," Sakura said and then continued, "Me."

Dominik looked down and shook his head, a small smile playing on his face as he said, "You truly are one of a kind, card mistress."

"But there's one condition," Sakura said frowning.

Everyone looked at her in surprise and before they could asked Sakura said, "Please call me Sakura."

Dominik let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I think I can do that."

Sakura beamed, and Syaoran said, "If Sakura trusts you, I suppose you can trust the Li Clan to back you. But only so long as you're not like your mother."

"I can assure you I won't be," Dominik said. "I guess this is farewell then."

"You have to go back to Europe?" Tomoyo asked after being silent for a long time.

Dominik turned to Tomoyo and smiled gently. "I'll be back. I've found that I like Japan a lot. But perhaps you could visit Europe. All of you I mean."

Sakura and Meiling giggled, while Syaoran rolled his eyes.

"I'd-I mean we'd like that," Tomoyo said, a light blush playing on her cheeks.

Dominik handed her a folded piece of paper and then said, "In case you need anything."

With that, Dominik turned and left the room, before leaving out the front door. When Sakura was sure she didn't sense his presence she grinned, jumped off the couch, and sat next to Tomoyo.

"Tomoyo's got a boyfriend," she sang.

Tomoyo blushed. "I do not. We just talked a little is all."

Meiling rolled her eyes. "Sure. He practically blew us all off to invite you to Europe."

"He invited all of us," Tomoyo corrected.

"To cover up his real intention," Syaoran said as he continued to do his homework.

"So what's in the note," Sakura said enjoying Tomoyo being on the receiving end of the teasing for once. "What did he write?"

"None of your business," Tomoyo said.

Meiling scoffed. "You're one to talk. You're always in Sakura's business. Do share."

"Shut up," Tomoyo said sticking the note in one of her books, trying to continue doing her homework.

* * *

><p>Kero had a feeling and even expected that it was going to take a while for Yue and Sakura to get over almost losing each other as a result of everything that happened over the summer. But this was the last straw. Kero couldn't take it anymore. He understood what his brother and Sakura were going through. He really did. But this was taking it too far!<p>

He had watched the two carefully in the two and a half weeks since Sakura had awakened, and they were both acting, for the lack of a better word, clingy. He rarely saw the two apart in the last few weeks, though it could be chalked up to Sakura being confined to the house. Kero knew better.

Yue was usually willing to give Sakura her space when she was doing her school work, and there had been a lot she was rushing to finish before her break ended in the next few days. But lately he would go find her and wordlessly place her in his lap while she continued, falling asleep if it were during the day and occasionally helping her if it were at night.

Sakura, on the other hand, who was usually content to do things for herself if she didn't need the help, was unnecessarily asking for his aid for menial things like helping her do laundry, cooking dinner, even once asking him to brush her hair.

But if those things didn't make their physical need to be with each other apparent, then the fact that Kero kept running into the two making out with each other with less caution and consideration for other people living in the house than they normally did certainly made it apparent.

Kero was trying to be sympathetic. He really was. So when he found the two downstairs in the living room in a passionate session, he'd just gone back upstairs. And when he accidently came upon Yue with a half naked Sakura pent against the wall in the basement when they were supposed to be clearing out some of Sakura's old things from her room, he let it slide. No one went in the basement that often anyway, and he wouldn't have if it hadn't been for the fact that it had taken them too long to come back from taking a box down to the basement anyhow.

But now, it was becoming an issue. Not only was this the umpteenth time he had caught them, second time that day (the first being in the laundry room), but now they were in the kitchen. And it was lunch time for heaven's sake! He was hungry! He wondered briefly if this was the first time they had done something like this in the kitchen… where the food was. The thought almost made him lose his appetite, but just almost. Regardless, he needed to put an end to this.

Luckily, neither was lacking any piece of their clothing. Sakura was just propped on the counter next to the cutting board she had taken out to no doubt make lunch before she had been distracted. But if the last times he had caught them was any indication, it wouldn't be that way for long.

He almost decided to just throw a fit about it, whine and shout until he got their attention, until they jumped apart in embarrassment, and Sakura continued to make his lunch; however that wouldn't solve the problem of finding them all over the house together. And the house wasn't that big, so it wasn't like he could avoid them very well.

Kero grinned as something came to him. Not only could he effectively bring the issue to their attention but have fun doing it. So he went into the kitchen, headed for the refrigerator, pretending to act as though he wasn't bothered by the two.

"You know," he said as he flew past the two. "It's a wonder Sakura's still a virgin with the way you two have been behaving lately. That is if she is still one."

Kero had intended for it to be a joke, but it became more serious than he intended considering the truth present in the words.

Their response was delayed, but it was Yue who seemed to register what he had said first and slowly he turned to look at Kero who was taking the last bit of pudding from the fridge. The moon guardian was obviously taken aback.

"What did you say?" Yue asked, both he and Sakura too shocked by Kero's words to at least try to regain their composure and resume a less compromising position.

Kero repeated himself as he made his way out of the kitchen, both his brother and Sakura too shocked to respond. He was halfway up the stairs when he heard it.

"Hoe!"

"Cerberus!"

Kero paid dearly for that comment, not just by the beating Yue gave him, but also that Sakura wouldn't make or get him anymore sweets for a whole day and forbid SWEET to do so. But it was worth it. The comment got the point across. Yue and Sakura kept it confined to Yue's room after that.

* * *

><p>"Sakura, where are we going?" Kero demanded from inside one of the pockets of his brother's pants.<p>

"You'll see," Sakura said unable to keep the grin off her face as she looked out the window of the bus.

"Whatever it is," Yue said from next to her, "I hope it's worth it."

"It is," she assured patting his arm.

It had taken all kind of persuasion to get Yue to come with her, on a bus no less. She had dragged him on one before, and he had vowed never to use one again. But Sakura had managed to convince him one way or another.

The bus stopped, and Sakura stood up mentioning that this was their stop. It was crowded, but not too crowded. Regardless, Sakura locked her arms around Yue just in case the crowd began to get to him. To any onlooker (and there were many), they looked like a any normal couple who had decided to get out on the fairly cool summer day.

"Where are we going?" Yue asked.

"We're almost there," Sakura said simply and then stopped as they came to a fairly crowded intersection. "Tada!"

"Where are we?" Kero asked poking his head out Yue's pocket. Then he sniffed the air and closing his eyes saying, "Ah… Smells like curried chicken."

"Well, it is an international food festival after all," Tomoyo said coming up to him, the said curried chicken on a cup in her hands.

Kero flew out Yue's pocket saying, "A food festival! Yum! Oh this is a great surprise Sakura."

"We're not here for the food," Sakura said. "At least not to eat it. If that were the case I would have left Yue at home."

"Then do tell. What are we here for?" Nakuru asked coming up to them.

"Oh there you are. Good thing I didn't have to go looking for you," Sakura said. "Did Eriol find somewhere secluded but not away from the festival?"

"Yeah," Nakuru said. "But can you tell us what's going on now?"

"You'll see," Sakura said following the girl. "You may want to start recording Tomoyo."

Yue stood behind with Kero and a confused Tomoyo.

"Did she tell you anything?" Kero asked Yue.

Yue shook his head. "I'm just as in the dark as you are."

"So she was cryptic about it with you too? All she told me was to make sure I brought my camera," Tomoyo said.

They all decided the best way to find out was to follow Sakura. Nakuru led them to the roof of an empty building where all the festivities of the food festival could still be seen, smelt, and heard.

"Finally," Meiling said. "Seems like you would get here on time when you call everyone to meet you here."

"It was the bus's fault," Sakura said going over to the edge of the roof to view the festival.

"So what are we here for?" Syaoran asked.

Sakura didn't answer immediately, only took out a card and looked at it before turning around.

"After sealing LIFE and DEATH, I've had my share of making anymore cards. I can have whatever I want using them and anything else I need, I'll do without the use of magic if magic can't help me," Sakura said and then smiled a little. "But there's one last card I have to make, and I want you all to be here to see it."

With that said, Sakura flipped the card in her hand around for everyone to see.

"GLAMOUR," she said and the card rose from her hand flipped in the air. Then it released, not in its physical form, but in the form of purple sparkles raining down on them from the air transforming everyone, including the four guardians.

An unintended power of the card had been that it could also dispel disguises, forcing a person to reveal their true identity. Sakura had figured that out purely by accident when GLAMOUR decided she wanted to play with Kero. The card had decided the Kero's disguised form was too puny and proceeded to force him into his true guise. It made Sakura what other unintended powers the card had. She'd have to play with it later.

Tomoyo squealed at the footage she was getting as GLAMOUR's magic rained down on her also, tying her loose hair in a braid and changing her casual dress into a casual kimono for the occasion.

Its work done, GLAMOUR returned to its card form and returned to Sakura's empty hand, the other hand holding her staff. Sakura twirled her staff in her hand. It was good it hold it again. She hadn't seriously used magic in weeks, more so because everyone wanted her to be sure she was fine. The use of GLAMOUR a few days ago had been the first time she used magic in weeks, and even then, she had done it without her staff since GLAMOUR was one of the more cooperating of the cards.

Sakura then went to stand on the edge of the building, everyone in the festival being too distracted to look up and see her standing there. She had come to learn after the mess with Marie that everything had a type of magical energy in it, but it took large concentrations of this energy to make magic. People who could use magic like her only had a large concentration of this magic inside them and could manipulate it and the magic around them. But it took a special person to be able to gather small quantities of magical energies and make it into something more, personify it.

That was the kind of magic it took to create a card. So Sakura felt for the energy, this essence, the excitement all around them, and latched onto it with her own magic, forcing it to gather into something more tangible.

Sakura had to say, after doing the same thing with LIFE a few weeks ago, this was certainly much easier, the result she wanted coming much quicker and with much less dramatic flair than Life and Death's first appearance.

Sakura opened her eyes to see a spirit floating in front of. It looked something like GLAMOUR, in regards to the fact that she couldn't determine its gender, if it had one. Other than that, it was about as tall as MIRROR, red hair thrown over its shoulder in a braid with simple house robes and what must have been an apron around its waist.

The spirit smelled the air and wrinkled its nose before going over to where Tomoyo was, reaching into her bag and taking out her curried chicken.

It put in a finger to taste and then scowled before tapping the cup, its magic activating. Then it shoved it up to Tomoyo's nose. Tomoyo looked at it confused.

Sakura giggled.

"He wants you to taste," Sakura said, deciding that it seemed better suited to be male.

Tomoyo cautiously took a piece of chicken and popped it in her mouth and then blinked.

"Oh!" she said. "What did you do? It's… It's better. Excellent in fact."

The spirit grinned.

"Hey! I wanna taste!" Cerberus said and the spirit was only too happy to indulge.

I wanna taste too," Meiling said. "Don't eat it all!"

Seeing all the people around, the spirit waved its hand dismissively as though telling everyone not to worry. It reached into its apron and pulled out a red colored bowl. Just as quickly the platter filled with more of the dish.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," Nakuru said coming up to the spirit.

He grinned ushering everyone else over and one by one everyone crowded around it, but he seemed to like Cerberus more than anyone. Sakura laughed at its enthusiasm and sat on the ledge to watch. Yue came to sit next to her, an odd look crossing his face.

"What is it?" Sakura asked sensing his pensive mood.

"Nothing," Yue said slowly and then added, "Just had a moment of déjà vu there…"

"Oh?" Sakura asked.

Yue paused pulling up a knee and leaning his arms and head on it. "This reminds me of Clow."

Sakura opened her mouth and then closed it, not sure how to take that comment. Yue rarely if ever spoke of Clow to her or anyone for that matter.

"Nothing bad. It's just it's been a while since I was able to enjoy the novelty of a new card," Yue said to her. "What are you calling it?

Sakura grinned. "I settled on CHEF."

"CHEF… That's definitely for Cerberus," Yue said dryly.

Sakura smiled saying, "I figured he deserved it for putting up with the two of us that is."

Yue frowned. "He still didn't have to make that comment…"

Sakura laughed, having long gotten over that incident.

"Well it's not like there wasn't some truth in it anyway. Besides, he was just feeling a little-"

Sakura stopped mid-sentence as at that moment, the spirit came over to the two and shoved the dish in their faces. Sakura laughed and took a piece of the dish, but Yue only ignored the spirit. Not liking being ignored though, the spirit shoved it forward in a most aggressive fashion.

"No thanks," Yue said pushing it away.

The spirit furrowed its eyebrows, red eyes flashing.

Noticing its anger, Sakura patted the spirit on the head.

"Don't take it personally. Yue won't eat it anything from anyone."

The spirit huffed, obviously not about to take no for an answer, looking like it wanted to forcefully shove the plate down Yue's throat.

"Don't be mad," Sakura said guiding the spirit away from Yue. "He's like that."

The platter disappeared from the spirit's hands as it crossed its arms.

"Tell you what," Sakura said. "If you let me seal you, I'll let you try to force him to eat whenever you want."

"What?" Yue said.

The spirit glared at Yue and then eagerly nodded its head.

Cerberus laughed. "Me and this card are going to have a good time."

* * *

><p>Sakura couldn't believe it. Well, actually she could. It sounded like something Yue would do, but it still didn't mean she approved. So she made her way to his room, where the moon angel was lying on his bed with an arm draped over his closed eyes. She didn't bother to announce herself. He wasn't asleep. He never slept lying down, only when he was sitting up as odd as that was. And besides that, she rarely caught him sleep after seven o'clock in the evening. It was some weird habit he had of sleeping during the day instead of at night.<p>

"You blackmailed the magic council," Sakura asked bluntly.

Yue didn't react to the accusation, continuing to lie still. He only said, "Who told you that?"

Sakura went and sat on the bed on her knees, leaning on her hands next to him.

"Tomoyo told me. And she learned that from Dominik and he found out from the council himself one way or another."

"That doesn't mean it's true."

"Don't lie."

"I haven't."

"Yue!"

Yue moved his arm a little and opened an eye, giving her a pointed look.

"If I did," Yue began, "it's hardly anything for you to be upset about. You're the one who almost killed yourself a few weeks ago."

Sakura sighed. Yue was going to be a little sour about the ending result of her feud with Marie and her sealing of LIFE and DEATH for a while. Regardless, she tried again despite the fact that she sensed Yue was going to continue to be difficult.

"Did you really blackmail the magic council?"

"Did you really not count on LIFE and DEATH killing Marie?"

Yue's question had the exact effect he wanted. Sakura gasped, opening and closing her mouth as Yue waited expectantly for an answer.

"So?"

"How did you know?" Sakura asked.

Yue closed both eyes again as he said. "It wasn't hard to figure out. It may not have turned out like you planned, but you knew good and well that mastery over life and death can't be passed down. That's why you can't give me or Cerberus jurisdiction over either of them, even if you wanted to."

"How did you know that?"

"You still have those books she gave you, and I read them. I just had a feeling you weren't telling something."

Sakura stared at him for a moment, as though trying to figure out a way to deny it before asking, "You don't think any less of me. Do you?"

"You did the world a favor. Trust me," Yue said.

He started to cover his with his arm again until Sakura whispered his name, something about the way she said it forcing him to open both eyes and fully look at her. She looked ready to cry, so Yue wrapped an arm around her, pulling her to lie on top of his chest.

"I didn't mean for it to be like that," Sakura whispered. "I didn't know what it meant when I read that mastery over life and death couldn't be passed down. I just thought it meant she wouldn't be able to use the power even if I tried to give it to her. I didn't plan for her to die. I really did try to save her."

Only Sakura could have so much compassion for her enemy. After all Marie had done, Sakura had never wished death on the woman. So despite the fact that part of him, wanted to tell her that it was nothing to concern herself with, that Marie had been making her life hell and deserved it whether Sakura had planned it or not, Yue pushed the feelings aside and decided to comfort her. The things he did for his mistress.

"It wasn't your fault if that's what you think. Marie's ambition caused her own downfall. Neither of you could have predicted what you'd be up against because it hadn't been done before. Besides, knowing Marie, she wouldn't have kept her end of your deal with her anyway, whatever the deal was."

"I was bargaining on her not to," Sakura admitted. "For once in my life, I did have a plan. It just didn't work out."

"I figured you did. Even you aren't that reckless."

"Or naïve for that matter."

It was probably something Sakura would never admit again, for she had learned to use the fact that people underestimated her to her advantage, innocence and all. Yue was probably the only one who knew better and even still she could fool him.

"It's all in the past now regardless, so no need to dwell on it," Yue said closing his eyes again.

Sakura made a thoughtful humming noise before muttering, "I completely agree with you, but even though it's in the past I do have to say this summer's still been wasted."

Yue raised his eyebrow. "How's that?"

"I've spent so much time chasing off the council, worrying about Marie, creating cards, and staying alive, that I didn't do much of the one thing I had planned to do all summer."

"What's that?"

Sakura giggled, sitting up and straddling Yue's waist.

"Spend time with you of course," she said, and it was certainly true. They hadn't truly had much time to be a couple since they confessed roughly seven months ago. There was school, all her extracurricular activities, chores, homework, not to mention the fact that her dad and Toya were keeping a close eye on her to make sure she didn't get too distracted from school with magic and the fact that her lover lived in the same house. Every time they tried to grab a spare moment during her summer break, something that stemmed out the conflict with Marie ruined it. It was only the last two weeks or so that they had any time since she had been confined to the house, but even that was limited. But they had time, plenty of it, Yue pointed out.

"Oh I know. That's why I got Tomoyo to help me book a vacation for winter break, just the two of us," Sakura said with a grin.

Yue laughed. "Your father and brother won't like that idea."

Sakura shrugged. "That's why I haven't told them. By the time they find out, it'll be too late to do anything about it. But that's four months from now. For right now everything is calm, I'm fully recovered, and I've got roughly a little less than eight hours before it's back to school until winter break. We should make the most of it."

"You sure you're up to it? That does mean you have to get up early."

"I'll be fine," Sakura said leaning down so that her face was inches from his. She didn't give him a time to answer and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips onto his. She had certainly meant what she said and had every intention of living up to it, and Yue wasn't going to let her go back on her word either.

Sakura yelped when Yue suddenly flipped them over so that he was on top of her and then put his lips to her ear.

"But just in case, when you do wake up late in the morning, please don't blame me for it. I gave you the chance to back out."

Chances were she was going to wake up late, and despite Yue warning her, she was going to blame him for not waking her up. But she wasn't going to be able to blame him for keeping her up late, for she had done that herself, unable to sleep because of one thought running through her mind, something she had been meaning to share with Yue for the past few days now.

"Matsuki."

Yue was a little surprised. He thought she had fallen asleep until the word left her lips.

"What?"

"Remember I said _MaMa-chan_ after I woke up after sealing LIFE and DEATH?" Sakura asked and then continued without waiting for an answer. "_MaMa-chan_ is short for Matsuki."

"And who's Matsuki?"

"According to the vision DEATH showed me, she's our future daughter."

Yue didn't make a sound. In fact, Sakura wondered if he had stopped breathing he was so quiet and still. She bit her lip to hold back a laugh and snuggled closer to him, closing her eyes.

"Sakura."

"Yes Yue."

"I hate children."

"Of course you do, Yue." They'd talk about it later.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> That scene was always intended to be the last scene of this story, though it went through many versions. One version was actually the following morning at the breakfast table before she went to school, another was during the card sealing scene, and then this one. I decided it should be an intimate moment though and so came up with this. And the last four lines came from a conversation me and my sister were having about this very difficult child she has to deal with sometimes and I said this, "There isn't enough money in the world to make have a career in anything where I have to take care or teach little children all day. You have to really love children, and I don't like children." So my sister says, "You don't like children? Don't you want children?" My response? "Let me put it like this. I don't like other people's children. Mine won't be brats."

That's exactly how I said it, partly joking and mostly serious. But we won't get into that.

And that scene with Kero's observations was a last minute scene that stemmed out of a paragraph that was stuck in another scene and kind of got out of hand and it was fun. So I was like, why not? I mean, this chapter really is an epilogue anyway and not just because I couldn't come with a title chapter although that had a lot to do with it. Its purpose was just to neatly tie off the ends. I could have ended it in the last chapter to be honest.

Anywho, I accomplished my goal and this story has clocked in at roughly 96,000 words according to Microsoft Word. That's a novel folks, but I had a good time writing it and reading reviews.

Now I'm supposed to be writing my Star Wars fic, but CCS is just too damn addicting and filled with too many possibilities. A plot bunny for a new story attacked me three weeks ago. I have no intention of putting it up until I at least get out of spring semester. There are a lot of kinks to work out, but if the way this plot bunny is attacking me is any indication, it's coming. So here's a preview:

_Sakura gasped, feeling the power radiating off the woman in waves, but there was something odd about it. Like it had suddenly been restrained or locked. It was only Yue's hand on her shoulder keeping her from going to the woman, whose face was painted like a geisha, brown hair pulled up into an elegant bun, deep fuchsia off shoulder silk kimono with gold sash looking like it belonged to royalty. In fact, she looked like royalty. She was beautiful._

_She betrayed no emotion, though Sakura got the sense that she seemed rather curious about them._

_Finally Sakura took in the destroyed park, pushing the woman's beauty out her mind as she asked, "You did this?"_

_The woman looked around; the twitch of her lips betraying what might have been surprise._

"_I suppose I did," she finally said in a regal, but somewhat whimsical tone. "I hadn't realized it. I promise it was an accident. I didn't know my landing would cause such a commotion."_

_Sakura looked at Yue and then Cerberus, neither sure how to take the woman._

"_Landing?" Sakura asked._

"_Oh yes!" the woman said. "I'm not from here, though I am from a world similar to it, but it's boring right now. I've done everything I can do there and being ruler gets boring when there's no rebellion to squash, no empire's to conquer."_

_Sakura's eyes widened, Cerberus blinked, and even Yue raised an eyebrow. They had never, in all their encounters with power hungry sorcerers and mad magicians, heard someone talk about ruling or gaining power with as much casualty, and whimsicalness as this woman was, as though it had been easy._

"_Who are you?" Yue finally asked._

"_Oh! My apologies. I usually have better manners than that. I'm the Immortal Queen Tsubame. And I came here to take complete control of your world."_

So let's get some stuff established here. No, it is not a sequel to this story. It's not even related. It's an entire new universe for me to play in and head's up, it gets dark and some things are just going to flabbergast the readers I'm sure of it, and I also break one of my own cardinal rules, therefore it's definitely M-rated, not for just a couple of scenes. The very tone is different, heavier than my other stories at least. I really do up the sexual ante in it and not just for the sake of pointless smut or PWP. It plays an important role.

Yes. It is my OTP, Yue/Sakura, but if you want one of those stories where they confess and live happily ever after you're not going to get it. The tone is just that much different that my past three stories in this arc. In any case look for _Love Always_ late spring, maybe early summer on a computer near you on fanfiction dot net. You're welcome to PM if you have any questions or are confused about the story. But no more stories to post for a while. Lady Dae has to knuckle down and focus on school work (like that's going to happen). I tell you, if I put half as much time into school work as I did practicing writing, I'd be done with my college education as of this fall. But alas, I don't. Oh well.

Hope you enjoyed! Review Please! Until next time, Lady Dae signing out.


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